wo  2^ 


1^ 


^-s^ 


TUFTS   UNIVERSITY   LIBRARIES     

lllllilllllillH 


3  9090  014  530   121 


Webster  Family  Library  o?  Veterinary  Medicine 
Cummings  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tufts  University 
200  Westboro  Road 
North  Grafton,  MA  01 536 


Canterjiig  Exercise 

^— —  ^ 

I 
\ 

V 

s 

V -.. 

.       \ 

/  /  .-- ^•:--..N\ 

/  /  /  y N..      \  \ 

i      /       A-^ 
\/  Ui 

^      \       ll^§ 

;  .>v :-.. "-  ^  ^ 

y 


Ciiiiing  He  ads 


I 

I 

1  I 

I., 
I 
I 
I 
9 1 


^ 


|4 


5ft55A555G555(i&i 


HI^S.: 


NOLAN'S  SYSTEM 


FOR 


TRAINING  CAVALRY  HORSES, 


KENNER   GAERARD, 


CAPTAIN  FIFTH  CAVALRY,   U.  8.  A. 


t  NEW  YORK: 

D.  va:n^  nostkand,  192  broadway. 

1862. 


b2„ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862, 

By  D.  van  NOSTRAND, 

In  tlie  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


O.  A.   ALVORD,  STEREOTYPER  AND  PRINTKE. 


PREFACE, 


This  "  System  for  Training  Cavalry  Horses  " 
is  based  upon  tlie  principles  of  equitation  dis- 
covered by  Monsieur  Baucher,  of  France,  arid 
originally  arranged  by  Captain  S.  E.  ^Nolan, 
15tli  Hussars,  Englisli  Army. 

Captain  Nolan's  work  is  now  out  of  print, 
and  to  preserve  to  tlie  Cavalry  Service  so  valu- 
able a  "System,"  this  book  has  been  prepared 
for  publication.  It  is  essentially  the  same  as 
the  original,  with  the  addition  of  a  chapter  on 
"  Rarey's  Method  of  Taming  Horses,"  and  one 
on  the  subject  of  "  Horse-Shoeing," 

For  thQ  plates  illustrating  the  foUoiving  pages, 
the  author  is  indebted  to  the  skill  and  kindness 
of  CaptainW.  H.  Bell,  3d  Infantry. 

West  Point,  October  l5^,  1861. 


CAPTAm  jstolan's  preface. 

Army  and  Nayt  Club, 

10th  August,  1852. 

Since  this  book  was  put  in  the  printer's  liands,  I 
have  been  travelling  on  the  Continent.  Everywhere, 
I  found  that  Monsieur  Baucher's  new  Methode  had 
excited  much  attention,  and  not  a  little  jealousy 
amongst  the  followers  of  the  old  system.  Books  and 
pamphlets  have  been  published,  trying  to  turn  into 
ridicule  the  bold  intruder,  who,  in  two  months,  brings 
his  horses  to  do  what  years  could  not  accomplish  in 
the  old  school. 

In  France,  Baucher's  Methode  was  subjected  to  a 
trial,  which,  according  to  the  reports  of  many  mem- 
bers of  the  committee,  was  eminently  successful.  The 
system  was  rejected  notwithstanding;  but  some  of 
the  bending  lessons — the  most  important  part  of  his 
methode — were  retained,  and  are  now  made  use  of  in 
the  French  cavalry. 

In  what  I  have  seen  in  the  different  foreign  riding- 
schools  which  I  have  visited,  I  have  found  no  reason 
to  change  my  opinion  regarding  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  the  application  of  part  of  Monsieur  Bau- 
cher's Methode,  to  the  purposes  of  cavalry;  and  I 


*  PREFACE. 

have  endeavored  to  take  from  botli  systems  wliat  I 
found  best  in  practice,  namely,  from  the  old  system, 
the  principle  of  first  bringing  out  the  horse's  action, 
improving  his  paces,  giving  power  and  freedom  to  his 
movements ;  and  from  Monsieur  Baucher's,  those  les- 
sons which  enable  us  to  control  that  action,  and  thus 
regulate  the  horse's  paces,  and  render  him  handy  and 
obedient. 


CAPTAIN  NOLAN'S   INTEODUCTION. 

This  new  system  of  equitation  was  invented  by 
Monsieur  Baucher ;  and  for  any  thing  that  is  good  in 
this  book,  the  credit  is  due  to  him. 

I  had,  at  first,  intended  translating  his  work  from 
the  French  ;  but  experience  showed  me  that  certain 
modifications  were  necessary  to  adapt  it  to  the  use  of 
our  cavalry.  I  therefore  determined  on  publishing 
the  lessons  as  I  myself  had  carried  them  out,  with 
many  horses  of  different  breeds  and  countries,  add- 
ing what  my  experience  suggested ;  and  as  I  found 
that  those  lessons  succeeded  with  all,  without  excep- 
tion, I  can  safely  assert,  that  any  horseman  of  com- 
mon capacity,  following  them  out  in  the  same  way, 
will  break  in  his  horse  perfectly  in  about  two  months' 
time. 

The  system  rests  on  a  few  simple  principles,  show- 
ing how  to  attack  each  point  in  succession,  and  thus 
enabling  the  rider  at  last  to  reduce  his  horse  to  perfect 
obedience.  The  horseman,  in  the  success  he  daily 
obtains,  finds  a  constant  incitement  to  continue  his 
exertions ;  the  only  thing  to  guard  against  is  undue 
ha^te,  and  the  wish  to  obtain  too  much  at  once. 

By  this  plan  the  time  of  training  is  shortened  so 


6  INTKODUCTION. 

miicli,  that  one's  interest  in  the  daily  progress  of  the 
horse  never  flags  ;  the  man  works  with  good-will,  and 
many  a  horse  is  thus  preserved  from  the  effects  of 
bad  temper  in  the  rider. 

It  saves  many  a  young  horse  from  the  ruin  occa- 
sioned by  the  use  of  the  longe  and  other  substitutes 
for  skill  in  the  riding-school. 

The  progress  made  is  so  gradual  that  it  never 
rouses  the  horse's  temper. 

It  improves  the  horse's  paces,  makes  him  light  in 
hand  and  obedient,  adds  greatly  to  the  appearance 
and  efficiency  of  each  individual  horseman,  from  the 
way  the  horses  learn  to  carry  themselves,  and  the  con- 
fidence the  man  naturally  has,  when  riding  an  animal 
he  feels  to  be  completely  under  his  control. 

In  case  of  emergency.  Cavalry  could,  by  this  sys- 
tem, prepare  any  number  of  young  horses  for  the 
field  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time ;  for  though 
about  two  months  are  required  to  complete  the  Les- 
sons, the  horses  could  be  made  available  for  service 
much  sooner. 

All  other  books  on  equitation  speak  in  general 
terms,  but  never  point  out  where  to  begin,  how  to  go 
on,  or  when  to  leave  oflf. 

According  to  the  old  school,  when  you  had  ari-ived 
at  the  "height"  of  perfection,  your  horse  was  con- 
stantly sitting  down  on  his  haunches — *'  a  great  ob- 
ject to  have  gained,  after  a  couple  of  years'  hard  and 
dull  work!" 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

In  the  old  school  much  was  written  about  equi- 
librium; the  horse's  hind-legs  were  drawn  imder 
him  and  rooted  to  the  ground,  whilst  his  fore  legs 
were  always  scrambling  in  the  air; 

Head. 
Equilibrium  of  ^^^„,,^^^^  the  Old  School. 

TaiT 

and  those  horses  that  were  perfect  had  acquired  a 
way  of  going  up  and  down,  much  resembling  the 
motion  of  a  hobby  horse :  too  much  weight  was 
thrown  on  the  haunches,  and  a  horse  could  neither 
raise  his  hind-leg  to  step  back  when  required,  nor 
could  he  dash  forward  with  any  speed  whilst  made 
to  throw  his  weight  backward. 

The  horse,  again,  whose  weight  was  thrown  for- 
ward was  still  worse  and  more  dangerous,  for  the 
weight  of  the  rider  often  brought  him  to  the  ground, 
and  at  all  times  the  bearing  on  the  hand  was  so  great 
as  to  require  the  strength  of  both  arms  to  resist  it — • 
thus,  the  horseman,  having  no  power  over  his  horse, 
became  in  a  great  measure  useless  as  a  soldier. 


baucher's    equilibrium. 


Tail.  ==??=^==  Head. 


The    true   equilibrium,   which  is   neither  on   the 


8  INTEODUCTION. 

haunches,  nor  on  the  forehand,  but  between  the  two, 
Mons.  Baucher  alone  has  shown  us  how  to  obtain,  by 
carefully  gathering  up  and  absorbing  one  by  one  all 
the  resources  of  the  horse,  and  uniting  them  in  one 
common  centre,  .where  they  are  held  at  the  disposal, 
at  the  sovereign  will  and  pleasure,  of  the  horseman. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE. 

Captain-  Nolan's  Preface 3 

Captain  Nolan's  Introduction 5 

Preparatory  Remarks 11 

ON  THE  SNAITLE. 

Lesson  First  (five  days) 16 

Lesson  Second  (five  days) 18 

XHE  BIT. 

General  Remarks , 20 

Preparatory  Lesson  (two  days) 22 

HORSES  BITTED. 

Lesson  First  (seven  days) 23 

Dismounted  Bending  Lessons. — Mounted  Bending  Lessons. — 
How  to  teach  a  Horse  to  obey  the  Pressure  of  the  Leg. 

Lesson  Second  (seven  days) 32 

Circling  on  the  Haunches. 

Lesson  Third  (seven  days) 34 

The  use  of  the  Spur. — Reining  Back. — The  Horse's  Paces — 
Walk,  Trot  and  Canter. 

Lesson  Fourth  (five  days) 47 

Circling  on  the  Forehand  and  Haunches  to  both  Hands. 
1* 


10  ^  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Lesson  Fifth  (seven  days) 49 

On  the  Haunches  about. 

Lesson  Sixth  (seven  days) 50 

Going  about  on  the  Forehand. 

Lesson  Seventh  (fourteen  days) 51 

Perfecting  the  Horses  in  the  preceding^  Lessons.     . 


A  Short-  Explanation  op  this  System  by  Questions  and  An- 
swers      54 

Piaffer 59 

Leaping,  how  to  be  practised 61 

Translation  from  Monsieur  Baucher's  Methode  d'Equitation,    62 

On  the  Performance  of  Horses  at  Liberty 72 

To  make  a  Horse  limp  iij  Imitation  of  a  Lame  Horse. 

Rarey's  Method  of  Taming  Horses 83 

Teaching  a  Horse  that  Man  is  his  Master, — How  to  make  a 
Horse  he  down. — To  accustom  a  Horse  to  a  Drum. 

Horse-Shoeing 96 

Preparing  the  Foot. — The  Shoe. — Choosing  a  Shoe. — Cutting  off 
the  Heels. — The  Nail-Holes. — Fitting  the  Shoe. — Filing  up  the 
Nails. — Naihng  on  the  Shoe. — The  Hind-Shoe. — Removmg 
Shoes. 


NOLAN'S    SYSTEM 

FOR 

TRAINING    CAVALRY    HORSES 


PKEPAEATOEY  EEMAKKS. 

The  health  and  condition  of  the  horses  should  be 
carefully  considered,  and  great  care  be  taken  not  to 
overfatigue  them  by  too  violent  exertion ;  punish- 
ment never  being  inflicted  on  a  young  horse,  except 
for  decided  restiveness,  and  downright  vice.  Even 
in  that  case,  your  object  only  being  to  oblige  him  to 
go  forward,  you  will,  the  moment  he  moves  on,  treat 
him  kindly. 

When  a  horse  resists,  before  a  remedy  or  correc- 
tion is  thought  of,  examine  minutely  all  the  tackle 
about  him.  For  want  of  this  necessary  precaution, 
the  poor  animal  is  often  used  ill  without  reason ; 
and  being  forced  into  despair,  is  in  a  manner,  obliged 
to  act  accordingly,  be  his  temper  and  inclination  ever 
so  good. 

Horses  are  by  degrees  made  obedient  through  the 
hope  of  recompense,  as  well  as  the  fear  of  punish- 
ment.    To  use  these  two  incentives  with  judgment 


12  SYSTEM   FOE   TRAmiNG   CAVALEY   HORSES. 

is  a  yeiy  difficult  matter,  requiring  miicli  tliouglit, 
mucli  practice,  and  not  only  a  good  head,  but  a  good 
temper ;  mere  force,  and  a  want  of  skill  and  coolness, 
tend  to  confirm  vice  and  restiveness.  Resistance  in 
horses  is  often  a  mark  of  strength  and  vigor,  and 
proceeds  from  high  spirits;  but  punishment  would 
turn  it  into  vice. 

Weakness  frequently  drives  horses  into  being  vicious 
when  any  thing  wherein  strength  is  necessary  is  re- 
quired of  them.  Great  care  should  be  taken  to  dis- 
tinguish from  which  of  these  causes  the  opposition 
arises. 

It  is  impossible  in  general  to  be  too  circumspect 
in  lessons  of  all  kinds,  for  horses  find  out  many  ways 
and  means  of  opposing  what  you  demand  of  them. 
Many  will  imperceptibly  gain  a  little  every  day  on 
their  rider ;  he  must,  however,  always  treat  them 
kindly,  at  the  same  time  sho\ving  that  he  does  not 
fear  them,  and  will  be  master. 

Plunging  is  very  common  amongst  restive  horses. 
If  they  continue  to  do  it  in  one  place,  or  backing, 
they  must  be,  by  the  rider's  legs  and  whip  firmly  ap- 
plied, obliged  to  go  forward  ;  but,  if  they  do  it  fly- 
ing forward,  keep  them  back,  and  ride  them  gently, 
and  very  slow,  for  a  good  time  together.  Of  all  bad 
tempers  in  horses,  that  which  is  occasioned  by  harsh 
treatment  and  ignorant  riders  is  the  worst. 

Hearing  is  a  bad  vice,  and,  in  weak  horses  especi- 
ally, a  dangerous  one ;  whilst  the  horse  is  up,  the 


PREPAKATOEY   EEMAEKS.  13 

rider  must  yield  the  hand,  and  at  the  time  he  is  com- 
ing down  again,  he  mnst  vigorously  determine  him 
forward ;  if  this  be  done  at  any  other  time  but  when 
the  horse  is  coming  down,  it  may  add  a  spring  to  his 
rearing,  and  make  him  come  over.  If  this  fails,  you 
must  make  the  horse  move  on  by  getting  some  one 
on  foot  to  strike  him  behind  with  a  w^hip.  With  a 
good  hand  on  them,  horses  seldom  persist  in  this 
vice,  for  they  are  themselves  much  afraid  of  falling 
backward.  .When  a  horse  rears,  the  man  should  put 
his  right  arm  around  the  horse's  neck,  with  the  hand 
well  up,  and  close  under  the  horse's  gullet ;  he  should 
press  his  left  shoulder  forward,  so  as  to  bring  his 
chest  to  the  horse's  near  side ;  for  if  the  horse  fall 
back,  he  will  then  fall  clear. 

Starting  often  proceeds  from  a  defect  in  the  sight, 
which,  therefore,  must  be  carefully  looked  into. 
Whatever  the  horse  is  afraid  of,  bring  him  up  to  it 
gently,  and  if  you  make  much  of  him  every  step  lie 
advances,  he  will  go  quite  up  to  it  by  degrees,  and 
soon  grow  familiar  with  all  sorts  of  objects.  ^Noth- 
ing  but  great  gentleness  can  correct  this  fault ;  for, 
if  you  inflict  punishment,  the  dread  of  chastisement 
causes  more  starting  than  the  fear  of  the  object ;  if 
you  let  him  go  by  the  object  without  bringing  him 
to  it,  you  increase  the  fault,  and  encourage  him  in  his 
fear. 

However,  if  a  horse  turns  back,  you  must  punish 
him  for  doing  so,  and  that  whilst  his  head  is  away 


14  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CATALRT   HORSES. 

from  the  object ;  tlien  turn  liim,  and  ride  him  quietly 
up  toward  what  he  shied  at,  and  make  much  of  him 
as  long  as  he  moves  on  ;  never  punish  him  with  his 
head  to  the  object,  for  if  you  do  he  is  as  badly  off 
wdth  his  head  one  way  as  the  other,  w^hereas,  when 
the  liorse  finds  out  that  he  is  only  punished  on  turn- 
ing back,  he  will  soon  give  it  up.  If  a  horse  takes 
you  up  against  a  wall  and  leans  to  it,  turn  his  head 
to  the  wall  and  not  away  from  it. 

When  remount  horses  join  a  regiment,  they  should 
be  distributed  amongst  the  old  horses ;  they  thus 
become  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  saddles  and  ae- 
coutrements,  &c.,  &c.,  and  the  old  horses  on  each 
side  of  them,  taking  no  notice  of  all  these  things,  in. 
spire  the  young  ones  with  confidence. 

The  veterinary  surgeon  first  takes  them  in  hand, 
and  a  dose  of  physic  previous  to  their -going  into 
work  is  advisable  ;  meantime  the  men  should  handle 
them,  and  saddle  them  quietly,  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  a  non-commissioned  officer,  and  thus  quietly 
prepare  them  for  instruction. 

The  first  day  they  are  led  out  to  the  drill-ground 
in  saddles  and  with  snaffle-bridles,  and  the  instructor 
should  inspect  the  saddles  to  see  that  the  cruppers 
and  girths  are  rather  loose,  so  as  not  to  inconvenience 
the  horses  ;  he  should  then  order  the  men  to  mount 
quietly,  and  at  once  walk  them  around  in  a  large 
circle,  and  whilst  so  doing,  divide  them  into  squads 
of  not  more  than  sixteen  each.     He  should  pick  out 


PREPAKATOET   KEMAEKS.  15 

all  the  horses  that  are  in  poor  condition,  or  weak,  or 
very  young,  and  make  a  squad  of  them,  giving  them 
less  work  than  the  others. 

The  instructor  should  allow  no  shouting,  nor  noise 
in  the  squads,  and  even  the  words  of  command  should 
be  cautiously  given  at  first,  in  a  quiet  tone  of  voice, 
so  as  not  to  startle  or  set  off  the  young  horses.  When 
the  squads  are  told  off,  they  are  filed  to  stables.  If 
any  of  the  horses  are  intractable,  the  men  should  dis- 
mount and  lead  them  ;  but  those  that  go  quietly 
should  be  ridden  to  and  from  the  drill-ground,  care 
being  taken  not  to  allow  them  to  close  up  nearer  than 
six  feet. 

Check-reins  fastened  to  the  saddle  are  a  great  help 
to  a  man  at  first,  in  keeping  the  horse's  head  steady, 
and  they  never  do  harm;  but  they  should  always 
have  some  play,  and  the  man  must  never  be  allowed 
to  pull  upon  them. 

K  any  of  the  horses  will  not  allow  the  men  to 
mount,  put  a  cavesson  on,  stand  in  front  of  the  horse, 
raise  the  line  with  the  right  hand,  and  play  with  it, 
speaking  to  the  horse  at  the  same  time  to  engage  his 
attention,  whilst  the  man  quietly  mounts ;  no  one  else 
should  be  allowed  near,  as  the  more  people  round  a 
horse  the  more  alarmed  he  is,  and  the  more  difiicult 
to  manage.  As  soon  as  the  man  has  mounted,  turn 
your  back  to  the  horse  and  walk  on,  leading  him 
round  with  the  other  horses — he  will  soon  follow  their 
-example.     A  few  dismounted  men  are  necessary  to 


16  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

take  hold  and  lead  those  horses  that  are  unsteady 
when  mounted,  and  if  any  one  of  them  stands  still, 
take  care  that  the  man  trying  to  lead  him  on  does 
not  pull  at  his  bridle,  and  look  him  in  the  face,  which 
will  effectually  prevent  the  animal  from  moving  for- 
ward ;  make  the  man  who  leads  the  horse  turn  his 
back  and  go  on,  and,  in  almost  every  case,  the  horse 
will  follow. 

"Tlie  instructor  should  insist  on  the  men  using 
their  horses  gently  ;  he  will  thus  save  much  time,  and 
gain  his  object." 


ON  THE  Sl^AFFLE. 

First  Lesson.— (Five  Days.) 

Where  there  is  no  riding-house,  and  there  are  but 
few  in  the  United  States,  the  instructor  should  lay  off 
a  rectangular  track  on  a  level  piece  of  ground  for  his 
riding-school ;  for  squads  of  sixteen  horses  or  less, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  by  eighty  are  suitable  di- 
mensions. 

During  these  first  lessons  old  horses  should  lead 
off,  and  a  few  dismounted  men  be  with  the  different 
squads,  to  assist  in  keeping  the  horses  in  their  places 
when  required. 

Tlie  first  point  to  gain  is  to  get  the  young  horses  to 
go  forward,  and  to  go  willingly ;  they  should  there- 
fore be  allowed  to  walk  three  or  four  times  quietly 


ON   THE   SNAFFLE.  i< 

round  the  school,  be  patted  and  made  much  of;  the 
men  should  be  without  spurs,  and  use,  when  neces- 
sary, a  small  cane,  or  a  stiff  w^hip  without  a  lash. 
■  The  word  "Tr6>^"  is  then  given,  and  the  horses  are 
urged  to  trot  their  best,  and  though  some  confusion 
is  likely  to  occur,  the  instructor  is  cautioned  not  to 
bring  them  to  a  walk  at  once,  as  this  may  increase  it ; 
but  he  should  keep  them  going  for  a  short  time,  then 
bring  them  down  to  a  walk  and  halt  them.  (The  dis- 
mounted men  are  here  found  useful).  Let  the  men 
sit  at  ease,  speak  to  and  make  much  of  their  horses. 
During  this  lesson,  the  men  must  give  the  horses 
their  heads,  and  only  use  the  reins  to  keep  them  in 
their  places. 

After  a  short  rest,  repeat  the  trotting,  and  remem- 
ber that  the  "  object"  now  is  to  get  the  horses  to  go ; 
the  pace  must  not  be  confined  in  any  way,  but  the 
horse  should  have  the  greatest  freedom,  and  be  made 
to  step  out  to  his  utmost  at  the  trot,  without  any  re- 
gard to  distances  being  kept.  After  they  have  been 
at  work  in  this  manner  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  bring 
the  squad  to  a  halt,  and  begin  to  teach  the  horses  to 
obey  ''  the  feeling  of  the  rein" — thus  : 

The  men  must  not  play  with  the  snaffle-rein,  but 
merely  draw  it  quietly  to  the  side  they  wish  to  bend 
the  horse's  head  to,  always  having  a  feeling  of  the 
other  rein  ;  and  if  the  horse  follows  the  indication  of 
the  rein  only  a  few  inches,  bring  his  head  straight 
again,  with  the  outward  rein,  and  make  much  of  him. 


18  SYSTEM   FOE   TEAINI]\'G   CAYA.LRY   IIOESES. 

Tlie  instructor  must  explain  tliat  the  object  of  bend- 
ing a  horse's  head  to  the  right,  or  left,  is  not  to  supple 
his  joints,  as  many  suppose — for  a  horse  in  freedom 
can  lay  hold  of  his  tail — but  to  teach  a  horse  to  follow 
with  his  head  to  whichever  side  the  rein  is  drawn  to ; 
and  thus  early  must  it  be  impressed  upon  the  men's 
minds  not  to  allow  the  horse  to  take  the  initiative  in 
any  thing,  and  when  his  head  is  bent  to  the  right  or 
left,  he  must  not  be  allowed  to  throw  his  liead  to  the 
front  of  his  own  accord,  but  it  must  be  brought  quiet- 
ly back  again  by  the  rider's  hand. 

This  lesson,  altogether,  not  to  last  more  than  half 
an  hour,  and  to  be  repeated  every  day  until  all  the 
horses  trot  well  oat.  About  five  lessons  will,  gener- 
ally, bring  them  to  it. 

Second  Les§on. — (Five  Days.) 

Begin  to  collect  the  horses  both  at  a  walk  and  a 
trot.  At  a  walk,  the  man  must  be  taught  to  raise  his 
horse's  forehand,  by  keeping  his  snaffle  in  constant 
play,  and  not  allowing  the  horse  to  lean  upon  his  hand. 
When  he  does  so,  the  man  must  draw  his  snaffle  from 
right  to  left,  with  a  sawing  motion,  till  the  horse  raises 
his  head,  and  bears  no  weight  upon  his  hand. 

In  all  these  lessons,  a  man  must  sit  well  down  in 
his  saddle,  keep  his  body  upright  and  his  shoulders 
well  back.  He  should  not  lean  forward  or  bear  his 
weight  on  the  stirrups. 

Begin  by  circHng  to  the  right,  and  give  the  word 


ON   THE    SNAFFLE.  19 

^^Trot'^''  let  tlie  leading  file  ride  a  very  collected 
pace ;  tell  tlie  men  to  feel  tlie  liorses  up  with  botli 
reins  at  every  step,  and  those  horses  that  are  sluggish 
must  now  be  worked  well  up  to  the  hand  ;  make  the 
men  use  their  canes  or  whips  on  the  horses'  shoul- 
ders, but  be  particularly  attentive  to  prevent  them 
from  having  a  dead  pull  on  their  horses'  mouths. 

When  trotting,  the  snaffle  is  used  diflferently  to 
what  it  is  at  a  walk,  both  reins  being  equally  felt  at 
the  same  time,  and  that  whenever  the  horse  is  in  the 
act  of  putting  his  foot  to  the  ground,  not  when  rais- 
ing it.  This  being  hard  work  for  men  and  horses, 
bring  them  to  a  walk  every  two  or  three  turns  on 
the  circle,  and  then  give  the  w^ord  "  Trot "  again ; 
the  same  to  the  left ;  then  "- Forward^^''  "  TFc^Z^,"  and 
finish  by  trotting  out  a  couple  of  turns  to  each  hand 
round  the  school.  Before  leaving  the  school,  devote 
a  few  minutes  to  bending  the  horses'  heads  to  the 
right  and  left.  The  lesson  not  to  last  more  than  half 
an  hour,  and  in  five  days  the  horses,  if  properly  rid- 
den, should  be  sufiiciently  collected  and  tractable  to 
be  bitted. 

These  lessons  on  the  snaffle  form  no  part  of  M. 
Baucher's  system,  who  begins  his  work  at  once  on  the 
bit ;  but  Captain  Xolan  found,  by  experience,  that 
the  horses  were  brought  on  quicker  in  the  end,  and 
better,  by  going  through  these  lessons  on  the  snaffle. 
"With  troops,  he  considers  them  absolutely  necessary, 
though  a  single  horseman  might  dispense  with  them. 


20  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

THE  BIT. 

The  best  bit  for  all  purposes  is  a  light  one,  the 
checks  of  an  average  length,  and  the  mouth-piece 
merely  sufficiently  arched  (c)  to  admit  of  the  horse's 
tongue  passing  freely  underneath  it,  points  a,  a,  made 
straight,  to  rest  equally  on  the  horse's  jaw,  and  not 
too  thin. 


And  in  choosing  a  bit  for  a  horse,  the  point  to  look 
to  is,  the  distance  between  b,  b,  which  should  vary 
according  to  the  breadth  of  the  horse's  mouth. 

A  bit  of  this  sort  is  quite  sufficient  to  bring  most 
horses  under  control,  for  it  is  a  mistaken  fancy  that 
the  op2>osition  a  horse  offers  to  the  rider's  hand,  is 
caused  by  the  peculiar  shape  of  his  mouth,  or  that 
one  horse's  mouth  is  by  nature  much  more  sensitive 
than  another. 

The  jaw-bone  of  every  horse  is  covered  in  the  same 
way;  whether  a  horse  be  light  or  heavy  in  hand, 
cannot,  therefore,  depend  upon  the  quantity  of  flesli 
between  the  bit  and  the  jaw-bone,  though  many  sup- 
pose this  to  be  the  case  ;  but  the  fact  is,  it  is  not  the 
horse's  mouth  that  is  hard,  but  the  rider's  hand  that 
is  in  fault. 


THE   BIT.  21 

Many  and  various  are  the  bits  in  use,  originating 
chiefly  with  the  trade,  and  partly  the  inventions  of 
those  who,  unable  to  control  their  horses,  sought  as- 
sistance in  bits  of  different  sorts.  For  instance,  when 
a  horse  carries  his  nose  up,  a  bit  with  long  checks 
was  recommended,  which,  by  adding  to  the  power 
of  the  lever,  should  assist  the  hand  to  pull  in  the 
horse's  nose  bv  sheer  strens-th.  In  this  case,  if  the 
horse  has  never  been  taught  to  yield  to  the  pressure 
of  the  bit,  and  to  bring  his  head  in,  he  will  set  his 
jaw  against  the  bit  to  alleviate  the  pain  he  sufl:ers, 
and  thus  adopts  a  way  of  his  own,  which  he  will 
ever  after  recur  to  in  similar  circumstances. 

Other  bits  again  are  such  instruments  of  torture, 
that  they  either  deaden  all  sensation  in  the  horse's 
mouth,  which  becomes  numbed,  from  the  excessive 
pressure  stopping  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  or 
they  drive  a  horse  frantic  with  pain,  and  no  power 
the  rider  can  exert  with  his  legs,  can  bring  the  ani- 
mal to  face  such  a  bit ;  the  horse,  therefore,  remains 
behind  the  hand,  and  "  hand  and  leg"  cannot  work 
toc^ether. 

A  light  bit  is  therefore  strongly  recommended,  and 
in  the  following  lessons,  it  will  be  explained  how  to 
use  it  and  obtain  obedience.  In  the  United  States 
service,  the  snaffle  in  connection  with  the  bit,  was  a 
few  years  since  discarded  from  the  bridle,  and  though 
after  the  horse  is  trained  the  snaffle  may  be  dis- 
pensed with,  in  the  following  lessons    its  use  will 


22  SYSTEM  FOE   TEAINmG   CAVALRY   HOESES. 

greatly  faciliate  bringing  tlie  horse  on,  and  is  be- 
lieved to  be  almost  essential. 


ON  THE  BIT. 
Preparatory  Lesson. 

Befoee  commencing  the  bending  lessons,  it  is  well 
to  give  the  horse  a  preparatory  one  of  obedience,  and 
to  make  him  sensible  of  the  power  that  man  has  over 
him.  This  first  act  of  submission,  which  may  ap- 
pear of  but  slight  importance,  will  prove  of  great 
service ;  it  makes  the  horse  quiet,  and  gives  him  con- 
fidence, and  gives  the  man  such  ascendency  as  to 
prevent  the  horse  at  the  outset  from  resisting  the 
means  employed  to  bring  him  under  control.  Two 
lessons  of  half  an  hour  each  will  suffice  to  obtain 
this  first  act  of  obedience  from  the  horse. 

Go  up  to  him,  pat  him  on  the  neck,  and  speak  to 
him ;  then  taking  the  bit-reins  at  a  few  inches  from 
the  rings  with  the  left  hand,  place  ^^ourself  so  as  to 
offer  as  much  resistance  as  possible  to  the  horse 
when  he  tries  to  break  away ;  take  the  whip  in  the 
full  of  the  right  hand,  with  the  point  down,  raise  it 
quietly  and  tap  the  horse  on  the  chest,  on  which  he 
will  naturally  try  to  escape  from  the  punishment, 
and  rein  back  to  avoid  the  whip  ;  follow  the  horse 
whilst  backing,  pulling  at  the  same  time  against 
him,  but  without  discontinuing  the  application  of  the 


HOESES   BITTED.  23 

wliip  in  tlie  same  quiet  way,  showing  no  signs  of 
anger  or  any  indications  of  giving  in. 

The  horse,  soon  tired  of  trying  to  avoid  the  inflic- 
tion by  backing,  will  endeavor  to  do  so  in  another 
way ;  he  will  rush  forward,  and  then  you  must  at 
once  stop  using  the  whip  and  make  much  of  him. 

This  repeated  once  or  twice  will  prove  wonderfully 
successful  even  in  the  first  lesson. 

The  horse,  having  found  out  how  to  avoid  the  pun- 
ishment, will  not  wait  for  the  application  of  the  whip, 
but  anticipate,  by  moving  up  at  the  slightest  ges- 
ture ;  this  will  be  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  the 
subsequent  bending  lessons,  as  also  of  great  use  in 
mounting  and  dismounting,  and  in  every  way  accel- 
erate the  training  of  the  horse. 


HOESES  BITTED. 

First    Lesson.— (Seven  days). 

Dismoimtecl  Bending  Lessons. — Mounted  Bending 
Lessons. — IIov3  to  teach  a  Horse  to  obey  the  Pressure 
of  the  Leg. 

The  horses  (being  bitted,  the  curb-chains  rather 
loose)  are  walked  round  the  riding-school  once  or 
twice  to  quiet  them ;  the  squad  is  then  brought  "  to 
the  right,"  or  "to  the  left,"  halted,  and  the  men 
ordered  to  "  dismount"  and  begin  the  first  bending 
lesson  w^ith  the  bit. 


^   24  SYSTEM   FOR   TEAENING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

The  balance  of  the  horse's  body  and  his  lightness 
in  hand  depend  on  the  proper  carriage  of  the  head 
and  neck,  and  to  these  two  points  we  must  first  and 
chiefly  direct  our  attention.  They  should  always  pre- 
cede and  prepare  the  horse  by  their  attitude  for  every 
movement  about  to  be  executed,  and  the  rider  has  no 
power  over  the  animal  until  he  has  rendered  both 
these  points  susceptible  of  every  impulse  communi- 
cated by  him.  It  stands  to  reason  that  if  they  do  not 
lead  in  all  turns  and  changes  of  hand,  &c,  &c.,  if  in 
circling  they  are  not  bent  to  the  circle,  if  in  reining 
back  the  head  is  not  brought  home,  if  their  carriage 
is  not. always  in  keeping  with  the  different  paces,  the 
horse  may  execute  the  movements  required  of  him  or 
not,  as  he  pleases,  for  his  resources  are  still  at  his  own 
disposal. 

A  young  horse  generally  attempts  to  resist  the  bit, 
either  by  bending  his  neck  to  one  side  or  other,  set- 
ting his  jaw  against  it,  carrying  his  nose  high  up,  or 
low  down.  We  must,  therefore,  render  him  manage- 
able by  bending  him  to  the  right,  left,  and  "up  and 
down,"  that  is,  teaching  him  to  bring  his  head  home, 
and  to  arch  his  neck  on  the  reins  being  felt ;  against 
this  last  bend  the  horse  generally  defends  himself 
most  successfully,  by  setting  his  under-jaw,  or  clos- 
ing it  firmly  on  the  bit,  and,  as  nothing  can  be  done 
with  him  until  he  has  been  taught  to  yield  to  the 
hand,  we  must  begin  our  work  with  the  following 
bending  lessons,  and  we  shall  find  that,  in  a  short 


Vl.l 


HORSES    BITTKD.  25 

time,  liorses  that  require  the  whole  strength  of  a  man's 
arm  to  make  them  obey  the  action  of  the  bit  on  the 
bars,  will  bend  to  the  slightest  feeling  of  the  reins ; 
for,  finding  that  they  cannot  resist  the  power  of  the 
bit  used  in  the  manner  hereafter  shown,  their  in- 
stinct will  teach  them  to  obey,  and  habit  accustom 
them  to  yield  to  the  impulse  received  from  the  rider ; 
tlius  they  become  handy  and  obedient. 

As  a  general  rule,  in  all  the  ensuing  bending  les- 
sons, when  a  horse  champs  the  bit,  it  is  a  sign  that  he 
no  longer  resists  the  action  of  the  hand  ;  then  make 
much  of  him,  and  allow  him  to  resume  his  natural 
position.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the 
horse  never  be  allowed  to  take  the  initiative.  "  Al- 
ways oppose  the  raising  of  the  horse's  head — always 
lower  your  hands  and  bring  it  down." 

See  that  the  bit  is  properly  placed  in  the  horse's 
mouth,  and  the  curb  so  that  you  can  pass  your  finger 
under  it ;  place  yourself  on  the  near  side  in  front  of 
the  horse's  shoulder,  facing  inward,  the  feet  a  little 
apart  to  give  you  more  power. 

Take  the  off  bit  rein  in  the  full  of  the  rio;ht  hand, 
close  up,  with  the  ring  of  the  bit  between  the  forefin- 
ger and  thumb  ;  the  near  rein  in  the  same  way  with 
the  left  hand,  thumb-nails  toward  each  other,  and  lit- 
tle fingers  outward ;  bring  the  right  hand  toward  the 
body,  extending  the  left  one  from  you  at  the  same 
time,  so  as  to  turn  the  bit  in  the  horse's  mouth  (vide 
plate  1). 
2 


26  SYSTEM   FOR   TEAINING   CAVALRY    HORSES. 

The  strengtli  employed  must  be  gradual,  and  pro- 
portioned to  the  resistance  met  with,  taking  care  at 
first  not  to  bring  the  horse's  nose  too  much  in,  or  too 
close  to  his  chest,  which  would  make  the  bend  very 
difficult ;  if  the  horse  reins  back,  continue  the  press- 
ure until  he,  finding  it  impossible  to  escape  from  the 
restraint  imposed  upon  him  by  the  bit,  held  thus 
crossways  in  his  mouth,  stands  still  and  yields  to  it. 

When  the  bend  is  complete,  the  horse  will  hold 
his  head  there  without  any  restraint,  and  champ  the 
bit  (vide  plate  2) ;  then  make  much  of  him,  and 
allow  him  to  resume  gently  his  natural  position,  but 
not  to  throw  his  head  round  hurriedly. 

Practise  this  in  the  same  manner  to  the  left. 

This  lesson  not  only  teaches  the  horse  to  follow  the 
indication  of  the  rein  to  both  hands,  but  also  to  yield 
his  under-jaw  to  the  pressure  of  the  bit,  the  advan- 
tages of  which  will  soon  be  apparent.  And  now,  be- 
fore mounting,  prepare  the  horses  to  rein  in. 

For  this  purpose,  cross  the  snaffle-reins  behind  the 
horse's  jaw,  taking  the  near  rein  in  the  right  hand 
and  the  off  rein  in  the  left  (vide  plate  3,  fig.  1),  at 
about  six  inches  from  the  rings,  and  draw  them  tow- 
ard each  other  till  the  liorse  gives  way  to  the  press- 
ure and  "  reins  in"  (vide  plate  3,  fig.  2).  Do  not  for- 
get to  oppose  the  raising  of  tlie  horse's  head  by  low- 
ering your  liands,  and  bringing  it  down  again,  as 
before  mentioned. 

AVhen  the  horse  gives  way  to  the  cross  pressure 


J^(.3. 


n/i. 


HORSES    BITTED.  27 

of  the   snaffle,  ease  your  hand  and  make  much  of 
him. 

After  practising  the  lateral  bendings  with  the  bit, 
and  the  vertical  ones  with  the  snaffle,  for  a  few  min- 
utes, the  instructor  will  order  the  men  to  mount  and 
go  through  with  the  same  lessons  mounted. 

To  the  right,  by  passing  the  second  finger  of  the 
right  hand  through  the  bit  and  snaffle-reins  well 
down ;  so  as  to  have  the  reins  short  on  the  off  side. 
Then  draw  them  quietly  toward  you  till  you  get  the 
horse's  head  completely  round  to  the  right,  in  the 
same  position  as  in  the  bend  dismounted  ;  being  care- 
ful not  to  try  to  accomplish  too  much  at  first.  Be 
very  gentle  and  patient,  giving  the  horse  time  to  com- 
prehend by  degrees  what  is  required  of  him.  When 
the  horse  champs  the  bit,  make  much  of  him,  and 
allow  him  to  resume  his  natural  position. 

"When  bending  the  head  to  the  left,  pass  the  right 
hand  over  the  left  one,  and,  placing  the  forefinger 
through  the  near  reins,  proceed  as  before  directed. 

Then,  to  teach  the  horse,  on  the  reins  being  felt,  to 
rein  up,  arch  his  neck,  and  bring  his  nose  into  J^o. 
10  (vide  plate  4),  and  there  remain  steady  till  he  is 
allowed  to  get  his  head  away  again  by  the  rider  loos- 
ening the  reins.  At  the  word, ''  Bein  in  your  Horses ^'^ 
turn  the  little  finger  of  the  bridle  hand  toward  the 
horse's  head,  lowering  the  hand  as  much  as  possible, 
'  and  keep  it  there ;  with  the  right  hand,  nails  down, 
take  hold  of  the  bit-reins  close  within  the  grasp  of 


28  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

tlie  left  hand,  and  shorten  them  by  degrees,  drawing 
them  throno^h  the  left,  which  closes  on  the  reins  each 
time  they  are  shortened,  to  allow  of  the  right  hand 
taking  a  fresh  hold. 

"When  the  horse  resists  mnch,  and  holds  his  nose  up 
(vide  plate  5),  keep  the  reins  steady ;  do  not  shorten 
nor  yet  lengthen  them  ;  the  legs  closed  to  prevent  the 
horse  from  running  back  ;  he  will  remain,  perhaps,  a 
minute  or  more,  with  his  nose  up,  and  his  jaw  set 
against  the  bit,  but  will  then  yield,  bring  his  nose  in, 
and  champ  the  bit ;  make  much  of  him  with  the  right 
hand,  loosen  the  reins,  and,  after  a  second  or  two, 
"  rein  him  in"  again. 

The  horse  will  thus  learn  to  rein  in,  and  bring  his 
head  home,  whenever  you  feel  the  bit-reins,  and  this 
practice  gives  him  confidence ;  for  most  young  horses 
are  afraid  of  the  bit,  and,  if  frightened  at  first  by  any 
sudden  jerk  of  the  reins,  will  never  after  go  kindly 
"  up  to  the  hand,"  or  let  you  have  the  requisite  degree 
of  bearing  on  the  bit,  which  is  necessary  to  forewarn 
the  rider  of  what  the  horse  is  going  to  do,  and  whether 
he  requires  more  collecting  (which  he  does  if  he  bears 
too  heavy  on  the  hand),  or  more  freedom  (which  he 
does  if  he  rises  too  much  in  his  action),  but  which  is 
also  necessary  to  induce  the  horse  to  work  boldly  and 
well. 

Some  horses  are  so  shaped  by  nature  that  they 
overdo  the  "  reining  in,"  and  rest  the  lower  jaw  on 
the  chest ;  to  counteract  this,  direct  your  attention  to 


Tl.5. 


rlJi. 


HORSES    BITTED.  29 

falsing  Ills  head  by  the  use  of  the  snaffle,  as  mucli  as 
possible ;  whilst  with  the  leg  always  drive  him  for- 
ward to  the  hand  ;  this  will  soon  make  him  carry  his 
head  better. 

Uow  to  teach  a  horse  to  obey  the  pressure  of  the  leg. 

On  the  word  of  command,  '' Circle  your  horses  to 
the  right  on  the  forehand^''  (vide  plate  6),  the  horse's 
head  remains  straight  to  the  front;  apply  the  left 
leg  v/ell  behind  the  girth,  very  quietly,  and  without 
touching  the  horse's  side  with  the  spur ;  press  against 
him  till  he  takes  a  step  to  the  right  with  his  hind-legs, 
take  the  leg  from  him,  make  much  of  him ;  then  re- 
peat the  same,  and  get  another  step  from  him,  and  so 
on  till  he  has  turned  about ;  always  pausing  at  the 
half- turn. 

In  this  Lesson  the  horse  should  not  rein  back,  but 
his  fore-legs  remain  steady,  and  his  hind  quarters 
circle  round  his  fore. 

At  first  the  men  should  be  directed  to  assist  them- 
selves when  circling  to  the  right  on  the  forehand,  by 
feeling  the  left  rein,  and  by  touching  the  horse  lightly 
with  the  whip  on  the  side,  and  close  to  w^here  the  leg 
is  applied,  but  very,  very  gently. 

'-''Circle  to  the  left  on  the  forehand'''^  is  executed 
after  the  same  manner,  but  vice  versa. 

It  must  be  an  invariable  rule  never  to  hurry  a 
horse  in  his  bending  lessons. 

By  degrees,  as  the  horses  improve  in  this  lesson, 


30  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINING   CAVALRY    HORSES. 

and  step  freely  "  from"  tlie  pressure  of  the  leg  ;  on 
tlie  word  '^  Circle  your  horses  to  the  right  on  the  fore- 
hands^'' let  the  men  pass  the  right  hand  down,  with  the 
middle  finger  between  the  off  reins,  and  bend  the 
horse's  head  a  little  to  the  right,  so  that  the  horse 
may  see  his  hind-quarters  coming  round  (vide  plate  Y) ; 
apply  the  left  leg  as  usual ;  should  the  horse  not  an- 
swer to  the  pressure,  use  the  reins  on  the  same  side 
with  the  leg,  and  resume  the  opposite  rein  the  moment 
the  horse  yields.  All  this  must  be  done  very  gently 
and  gradually,  for  if  you  bend  the  horse's  head  round 
as  far  as  it  can  go,  and  attempt  thus  to  circle  him  the 
first  time,  he  will  resist,  finding  it  too  difficult ;  but  if 
done  by  degrees,  he  will  soon  come  to  it. 

The  near  fore-leg  is  the  pivot  on  which  the  horse 
circles  to  the  right  on  the  forehand.  The  off"  fore-leg 
is  the  one  he  circles  on  to  the  left  on  the  forehand. 

The  leg  opposite  the  one  which  presses  the  "  hind 
quarters"  to  circle  round  the  "fore,"  must  be  kept 
close  to  the  horse,  to  assist  in  keeping  him  in  his 
place,  by  communicating  a  forward  impulse,  whilst 
the  other  leg  communicates  the  impulse  which  makes 
tlie  horse  step  from  right  to  left,  or  left  to  right ;  and 
in  order  that  the  pressure  of  the  one  shall  not  counter- 
act the  effect  of  the  other,  the  leg  applied  to  make  the 
horse  step  to  either  hand,  should  be  further  behind  the 
girth  than  the  leg  used  to  keep  him  up  to  the  hand. 

Both  leo:s  should  be  close  to  the  horse  at  all  times, 
the  pressure  on  either  side  being  increased  as  occasion 


Pi  7. 


% 


THE    PEESSUKE    OF    THE    LEG.  31 

requires.  The  outward  leg  must  always  assist  the 
inward,  and  vice  versa  /  only  never  apply  it  opposite 
the  outward,  except  you  wish  to  press  the  horse  for- 
ward equally  with  both  legs,  or  when  you  are  w^ork- 
ing  on  a  straight  line. 

In  passaging,  particularly  at  a  trot  and  a  gallop, 
the  inward  spur  is  often  used,  and  sometimes  with 
great  good  effect,  in  front  of  the  girth,  particularly 
when  a  horse  will  not  give  his  head  to  the  side  he  is 
passaging  to. 

At  first,  dismounted  men  are  useful  with  the  un- 
steady horses,  by  taking  hold  of  the  bit-reins  on  the 
side  opposite  to  that  to  wdiich  the  horse  is  to  step  to, 
and  thus  assisting  the  rider,  who  then  only  uses  the 
snaffle ;  but  all  extraneous  assistance  should  be  as 
much  as  possible  avoided. 

After  practising  the  "  Bending  Lessons  "  mounted, 
for  a  few  minutes,  the  Instructor  gives  the  command 
''•To  the  right  {or  To  the  leff)^  March^^  and  moves 
the  squad  round  the  school  two  or  three  times  at  a 
"  Walk,"  and  at  a  "  Trot,"  to  both  hands.  Caution 
the  men  not  to  use  the  bits  much  the  first  few  days, 
but  the  snaffle,  and  bring  the  horses  to  face  the  bit  by 
degrees.  In  circle  to  the  right  or  left  at  a  trot,  round 
the  school  af  a  trot-out,  walk,  change  hands,  and 
again  trot,  and  every  now  and  then  bring  them  to  a 
walk,  halt  them,  and  make  the  men  bend  their  horses 
to  the  hand  they  are  working  to. 

Explain  to  the  men  that  the  horse's  head  and  neck 


32  SYSTEM   FOK   TEAINING   CAVALKY   HOESES. 

must  always  be  bent  the  way  lie  is  going,  and  that 
they  must  always  precede,  and  prepare  the  animal 
by  their  attitude,  for  all  turns,  circles,  &c.,  &c.,  about 
to  be  executed  ;  and  whenever  they  feel  the  bit-reins, 
and  the  horse  does  not  yield  to  them,  let  them  keep 
the  bridle-hand  steady,  and  play  with  the  snaffle-rein 
until  the  horse  champs  the  bit.  The  snaffle  should 
be  continually  used  to  prevent  the  horse  from  leaning 
on  the  hand. 

Finish  the  lesson  by  going  through  the  "  Bending 
Lessons"  on  foot  and  mounted,  and  then  file  home. 

During  the  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th  and  5th  Lessons,  the 
horses  should  be  brought  out  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  the  afternoon  merely  bridled,  and  the  men  go 
through  the  "  Dismounted  Bending  Lessons"  with 
them.  This  Lesson  seems  long  ;  but  it  may  be  gone 
through  with  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  no 
Lesson  with  young  horses  should  exceed  that,  if  pos- 
sible. 

Second  L<csson  on  the  Bit.— (Seven  days.) 

Circling  on  the  Haunches. 

The  squads  are  formed  in  the  riding-school  as  be- 
fOLi-e,  and  a  few  minutes  devoted  to  the  "  Dismounted 
Bending  Lessons ;"  then  mount,  and  begin  by  reining 
the  horses  in,  bending  them,  and  circling  them  to  the 
right  and  left  on  the  forehand  ;  this  being  done  once 
or  twice,  proceed  to  the  *'  Circling  on  the  Haunches." 


CIRCLING    OX   THE   HAUNCHES.  33 

By  circling  tlie  liorse  on  the  forelisind,  we  have 
taught  him  on  applying  the  leg  to  move  his  haunches 
to  either  hand,  and  as  he  has  thus  learnt  to  obey  the 
leg,  we  can  by  making  use  of  it  prevent  him  from 
moving  his  hind-legs  to  the  right  or  left ;  therefore 
we  shall  now  teach  him  to  circle  on  them,  which  in 
a  few  lessons  will  lead  the  horse  to  go  completely 
round  on  his  haunches  ;  and  thus  in  time  perform 
the  "Pirouette,"  the  most  useful  "  Air  of  the  Man- 
ege" for  a  cavalry  soldier ;  for,  when  engaged  sword 
in  hand  with  an  enemy,  he  can  turn  his  horse  right, 
and  left,  and  about,  in  an  instant,  and  thus  gain  the 
advantage  over  his  antagonist. 

A  cavalry  soldier  must  always  bear  in  mind,  that 
in  a  contest  on  horseback,  it  is  not  the  strongest,  but 
the  most  accomplished  horseman  wdio  is  likely  to  be 
victorious ;  and  a  skilful  rider  will  generally  carry 
the  day  against  a  man,  however  powerful  and  strong, 
who  cannot  handle  his  horse. 

On  the  word  of  command,  ^'On  the  Hcvunclies  Bight 
Ahout,^^  bend  the  horse's  head  a  little  to  the  right 
with  the  bit ;  pass  the  right  hand  over  to  the  near 
snaffle-rein  ;  apply  the  left  leg  as  far  behind  the  girth 
as  possible  at  first,  to  keep  the  haunches  steady,  but 
do  not  use  it  until  the  haunches  bear  against  it ;  on 
tlie  word  "J/arcA,"  make  the  horse  step  to  the  right 
with  his  fore-feet,  by  feeling  the  left  snaffle-rein, 
bringing  both  hands  a  little  to  the  right  at  the  same 
time,  and  by  applying  both  legs,  the  right  to  keep 
2* 


34  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

the  horse  from  backing,  and  the  left  to  keep  him  from 
circling  to  the  left  on  the  forehand.  (Yide  plate  8.) 
A  horse  circles  on  the  "  Hamiches"  to  the  right  on 
the  right  hind-leg,  and  to  the  left  on  the  left  hind- 
leg.  It  should  be  impressed  upon  the  men,  that  the 
rio-ht  hand  is  used  with  the  left  snaffle-rein  to  assist 
the  horse,  and  that,  in  the  beginning,  it  is  very  neces- 
sary. By  careful  and  progressive  management  the 
results  will  soon  be  obtained  ;  at  the  start,  the  horse 
should  be  allowed  to  rest  after  executing  two  or  three 
steps  well,  and  be  patted  and  made  much  of;  if  the 
haunches  are  thrown  out,  they  must  be  brought  back 
again  by  the  outward  leg,  and,  thus  gradually  led  on, 
the  horse  will  learn  to  go  about  to  both  hands  on  his 
haunches,  without  touching  the  ground  with  his  fore- 
feet. 

Go  through  the  "  Trotting  Lesson"  as  laid  down, 
halting  now  and  then  to  circle  to  the  right  and  left 
on  the  "•Haunches,"  and  befoie  dismissing  the  squad, 
repeat  the  "  Bending  Lessons"  on  foot  and  mounted, 
as  at  the  commencement  of  this  Lesson. 

Third   Le§;^oii. — (Seven  days). 
The  use  of  the  Sj)ur.     Reining  Back. 

Begin  by  circling  them  on  the  forehand  and  haun- 
ches, tlien  "  Eein  in  your  Horses,"  and  "  Spur." 

The  (Spur  has  till  now  only  been  used  to  inflict 
punishment  when  a  horse  refused  to  obey  the  press- 


l't.8. 


THE    USE   OF   THE    SPUR.  35 

are  of  the  leg,  or  to  oblige  him  to  go  up  to  an  ob- 
ject he  was  shy  of.  It  was  not  considered  as  an  "Aid," 
but  only  a  means  of  punishment.  It  is,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  most  powerful  agent  we  have,  without 
which  it  would  be  impossible  to  break  in  a  horse  per- 
fectly. Those  horses  that  are  hot-tempered,  vicious, 
or  of  great  mettle,  w^liose  temper  disposes  them  to 
break  from  the  restraint  of  the  bit,  in  spite  of  the 
strongest  arm,  can  only  be  reduced  to  obedience  by 
the  gradual  and  judicious  use  of  the  spur.  With 
the  spur,  of  course  combined  with  the  assistance  of  a 
good  hand,  you  can  perfect  the  education  of  the  most 
intractable,  and  infuse  spirit  into  the  most  sluggish 
animals.  At  the  same  time,  it  requires  great  pru- 
dence, and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  horse,  to 
use  the  spur  so  as  to  obtain  the  proper  results. 

The  object  is,  to  unite  the  horse's  powers  at  the 
centre  of  gravity,  that  is,  between  the  forehand  and 
haunches  ;  and  it  is  by  the  combined  use  of  hand 
and  les:  that  we  attain  this. 

We  have  already  the  power  of  keeping  the  horse 
on  the  straight  line,  which  is  indispensable  to  bring 
the  use  of  the  spur  into  play  ;  for  had  we  not  this 
power,  on  the  first  application  of  the  spur,  the  horse, 
instead  of  raising  his  forehand,  and  bringing  his 
haunches  under  him,  thus  concentrating  his  strength^ 
would  turn  his  haunches  in  or  out,  and  avoid  the 
necessity  of  bringing  them  under  him. 

But  what  is  of  still  greater  importance  is,   that 


do  SYSTEM   FOR   TKAINING   CAVALKY   HORSES. 

judgment  and  knowledge  of  the  horse's  temper,  which 
will  at  all  times  prevent  our  communicating  an  im- 
pulse to  the  horse,  with  the  spur,  stronger  than  what 
w^e  can  easily  control  with  the  hand. 

Suppose  your  horse  at  a  walk  bearing  the  weight 
of  five  pounds  on  your  bridle-hand  ;  when  you  close 
your  legs  to  him  you  will  feel  the  effect  of  the  im- 
pulse communicated,  in  the  additional  weight  thrown 
on  your  hand,  and  this  weight  augments  in  proportion 
to  the  impulse  given. 

On  feeling  this  additional  weight  on  the  bridle- 
hand,  do  not  give  way  to  it,  but  keep  the  bit-hand 
low  and  steady,  and  play  with  the  right  snaffle-rein  ; 
the  horse,  finding  the  bit  an  insurmountable  obstacle, 
will  by  degrees  learn,  instead  of  throwing  his  weight 
forward  when  the  impulse  is  given  by  the  leg,  to 
throw  it  back,  and  bring  his  haunches  under  him ; 
but  should  you,  instead  of  closing  the  leg  gently 
to  him  the  first  time,  put  both  spurs  into  his  sides, 
the  horse  would  throw  so  much  weight  forward 
from  the  great  impulse  received,  that  he  would 
probably  pull  the  reins  out  of  your  hands  ;  your  ob- 
ject would  thus  be  defeated  in  the  beginning;  and 
the  horse,  having  burst  from  your  control  on  the  first 
application  of  the  spur,  by  throwing  his  weight  for- 
ward, would  ever  after  try  to  do  the  same. 

The  spur  must,  therefore,  be  applied  with  caution 
and  delicacy. 

The  rider  by  closing  his  legs  to  the  horse  brings 


THE    USE    OF    THE    SPUR.  37 

the  rowels  quite  close  to  liis  sides  ;  so  that  on  the 
word  "iS};i^;'"  (given  in  a  quiet  voice),  he  merely 
touches  his  horse's  sides,  retaining  at  the  same  time  a 
steady  feeling  of  the  bit  reins,  so  as  to  present  an  oppo- 
sition equal  to  the  impulse  connnunicated  by  the  spur. 

Then  make  much  of  the  horses  and  quiet  them, 
taking  care  to  square  them,  should  they  have  stepped 
to  either  side  with  their  hind-legs. 

When  the  spur  is  applied  on  the  move,  halt  them 
to  quiet  them. 

You  increase  by  degrees  the  use  of  the  spur,  until 
the  horse  will  stand  its  application  without  throwing 
any  weight  on  the  hand,  without  increasing  his  pace, 
or  without  moving,  if  applied  when  standing  still. 

If  the  horse  kicks  at  the  spur,  it  is  a  sign  that  his 
weight  is  too  much  forward ;  if  he  rises  or  capers,  his 
weight  is  too  much  on  the  haunches.  The  rider's 
mind  must,  therefore,  be  directed  to  keeping  the 
weight  between  the  two,  and  when  it  is  there  his 
horse  is  properly  balanced. 

This  lesson,  if  well  carried  out,  has  a  moral  effect  on 
the  horse,  which  accelerates  its  results. 

If  the  impulse  given  by  the  leg  or  spur  is  always 
controlled  by  the  hand,  the  pain  the  animal  suffers  is 
at  all  times  in  proportion  to  the  resistance  he  offers ; 
his  instinct  will  soon  teach  him,  that  he  can  diminish 
and  even  avoid  it,  by  yielding  at  once  to  what  is 
required  of  him ;  he  will  not  only  submit,  but  soon 
anticipate  our  Welshes. 


38  SYSTEM   FOR   TEAIKING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

Go  tlirougli  with  the  ^' Trottmg  Lesson,"  "Walk," 
and  every  now  and  then,  halt,  and  "  Spur."  Then 
bring  the  squad  "  to  the  right"  or  "  to  the  left,"  halt 
and  begin  the 

Reining  Back, 

The  great  use  of  reining  back  has  never  been  prop- 
erly understood,  and  consequently  not  properly  prac- 
tised. 

It  should  not  be  brought  into  play  until  the  horse 
is  well  bent  in  the  neck  and  ribs,  and  obeys  the  press- 
ure of  the  leg ;  during  the  reining  back,  the  horse 
must  be  well  in  hand,  and  well  balanced  ;  he  can 
then  make  an  equal  use  of  all  four  legs,  and  raise 
them  equally  from  the  ground.  Before  reining  back 
see  that  your  horse  haunches  to  the  right  or  left,  as 
may  be  required ;  then  give  him  his  head  and  make 
much  of  him. 

It  will  be  sufficient  to  practise  a  horse  at  reining 
back  for  eight  days  to  make  him  do  it  with  the  great- 
est ease.     (Yide  Plate  9). 

At  first  a  few  steps  backward  is  all  that  should  be 
required  of  the  liorse,  increasing  by  degrees ;  if  he 
brings  his  hind-legs  too  much  under  him,  ease  the 
hand,  and  a2:)ply  both  legs  to  make  him  regain  his  bal- 
ance forward ;  and,  for  this  reason,  always  use  the 
leg  first,  and  then  feel  the  reins,  because,  if  you  feel 
the  reins  first,  the  horse  throws  his  weiglit  back  ;  and 
it  stands  to  reason,  that  the  more  weiglit  he  throws  on 


/v  /y 


77.  10. 


REINING    BACK.  39 

his  liind-legs,  tlie  less  able  he  is  to  lift  them,  which  is 
a  necessary  preliminary  to  stepping  back ;  therefore, 
be  particularly  attentive  in  preserving  the  horse's  bal- 
ance, and,  if  he  sticks  his  nose  out,  and  hugs  his  tail, 
with  his  weight  thrown  entirely  on  the  haunches 
(vide  plate  10),  never  attempt  to  rein  him  back, 
until,  by  applying  both  legs  or  spurs,  you  make  him 
stand  up  again,  and  recover  his  balance ;  then  pro- 
ceed as  before  directed. 

The  horse  must  never  be  allowed  to  hurry  or  run 
back  out  of  hand,  nor  to  diverge  from  a  straight  line. 

The  squad  must  be  frequently  brought  "  to  the 
right,"  or  "to  the  left,"  when  on  the  sides  of  the 
school,  and  halted  near  the  middle,  to  practise  the 
Reining  Back.  Do  this  during  the  "Walking,  Trotting, 
and  Bending  Lessons  ;  each  man  being  ,told  to  act  in- 
dependent of  his  dressing,  until  all  the  horses  rein 
back  w^ell. 

Your  attention  must  now  be  directed  to  making  the 
men  keep  their  horses  w^ell  up  to  the  bit,  and  putting 
them  together  with  the  use  of  hand  and  leg  ;  to  see 
that  in  all  turns,  circles,  &c.,  &c.,  the  men  bend  their 
horses'  heads  and  necks  in  the  new  direction  before 
leaving  the  sides  of  the  school.  Endeavor  to  make 
them  perfect  in  their  bending  and  trotting  lessons; 
practise  the  going  "  about  on  the  haunches"  by  fre- 
quently halting  and  giving  the  w^ord,  "  On  the 
Haunches  Ahout^^^  ^^March^ 

The  horses  havina^  learnt  to  follow  the  indication 


4:0  SYSTEM    FOE   TRAINING    CAVALEY    HOESES. 

of  the  reins,  and  obey  the  pressure  of  the  leg,  bring 
them  to  the  half-passage,  at  first  only  a  few  steps  be- 
ing required  of  them,  and  take  care  that  the  horses' 
heads  and  shoulders  lead.  After  four  or  five  lessons 
at  half-passage,  proceed  to  the  passage,  and  see  that 
in  this  as  in  the  half-passage,  the  horses'  heads  and 
shoulders  lead,  and  that  the  men  lean  to  the  side  the 
horse  is  passaging  to.  The  inward  leg  must  be  freely 
applied  in  the  half-passage  and  passage,  to  keep  the 
horse  up  to  hand ;  and,  when  any  of  the  horses  rein 
back,  halt  the  squad  and  make  them  dress  up. 

Finish  this  lesson  with  "  Circling  on  the  Forehand," 
''on  the  Haunches,"  "Keining  in,"  and  "Applying  the 
Spur." 

The  Horse's  Paces  —  Walk^  Trot^  and  Canter. 

In  treating  here  of  the  horse's  paces,  no  reference 
is  made  in  these  remarks  to  the  manner  of  using  the 
snafile  laid  down  in  the  first  part  of  this  book ;  those 
two  lessons  on  the  snafile  are  merely  to  prepare  the 
horses  to  enter  on  their  course  of  instruction. 

The  Walk. — If  a  horse  walks  well,  his  action  is 
generally  good ;  and  by  bringing  the  principles  of  this 
system  into  play,  first  at  a  walk,  you  regulate  and 
improve  his  other  paces. 

Before  moving  forward,  the  horse  should  be  light 
in  hand,  the  head  brought  home,  the  neck  arched, 
and  he  should  stand  evenly  on  both  hind-legs. 

Close  the  legs  and  communicate  a  sufiicient  impulse 


41 

to  carry  liim  forward,  but  do  not  ease  the  hand  at  tlie 
same  time,  as  hiid  down  in  the  old  system,  because  if 
you  do,  the  head  and  neck  may  relapse  into  a  position 
w^iich  will  dety  the  control  of  the  hand. 

The  bit  should  be  to  the  horse  an  insurmountable 
obstacle  whenever  he  attempts  to  get  beyond  the 
position  to  which  he  is  reined  in ;  he  never  tries  it 
without  suffering,  and  it  is  only  within  its  limits  that 
he  can  find  himself  at  ease. 

The  rider  should,  thej-efore,  always  have  a  light 
feeling  of  both  reins,  and  when  the  horse  bores  on  the 
bit,  keep  the  hand  steady,  use  both  legs,  which,  by 
bringing  his  haunches  under  him,  will  oblige  the 
horse  to  take  his  weight  off  your  hand. 

Perfect  him  in  his  Walk  before  you  try  to  do  so  at 
a  Trot  and  a  Gallop,  for  this  simple  reason,  that  he  has 
three  points  to  rest  on  when  at  a  walk  (as  he  lifts  but 
one  leg  at  a  time),  and  can  easily  maintain  his  bal- 
ance ;  and  whilst  his  action  is  so  little  brought  into 
play,  he  is  more  susceptible  of  the  different  impres- 
sions we  wish  to  convey  ;  therefore,  combine  the  use  of 
hand  and  leg  to  collect  him,  improve  his  carriage,  and 
assist  in  uniting  the  play  of  the  forehand  and  haunches. 

Monsieur  Baucher  does  not  begin  the  trot  till  he 
has  perfected  the  horse  at  the  w^alk,  but  Captain 
Kolan  found  it  answered  better  in  practice  to  go  on 
w^ith  the  trotting  at  the  same  time ;  however,  get  a 
thing  w^ell  done  at  a  walk  before  you  try  it  at  a  trot. 

To  keep  up  the  AYalk  at  an  even  pace,  it  is  neces- 


42  SYSTEM   FOK   TEAINING   CAVALRY   HOKSES. 

saiy  that  tlie  impulsive  and  controlling  powers  eman- 
ating from  the  rider  be  in  perfect  harmony. 

Suppose  you  require  a  power  equal  to  twenty 
pounds  to  move  the  horse  forward,  of  which  fifteen 
pounds  for  the  impulsive  power  and  five  pounds  to 
keep  the  horse  reined  in ;  if  the  legs  communicate  a 
greater  impulse,  without  the  hand  augments  the  resist- 
ance in  proportion,  it  is  evident  that  what  is  in  excess 
will  be  thrown  on  the  forehand,  and  then  the  horse 
is  no  longer  light  in  hand  ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  the 
hand  seizes  on  too  large  a  share  (or  in  other  words,  is 
too  heavy),  it  w411  impede  the  horse  in  his  forward 
course,  slacken  the  jDace,  and  interfere  with  his  carriage. 

This  goes  far  to  show  how  hand  and  leg  must  work 
together  from  the  beginning,  though  of  course  in  a 
difi*erent  degree,  according  to  the  horse. 

The  Trot. — A  horse  trots  when  he  raises  the  "  off 
fore  and  the  near  hind  leg"  or  "  near  fore  and  off 
hind"  from  the  ground  at  the  same  time.  Those 
paces  at  which  the  horse  is  most  easily  balanced 
must  precede  those  in  which  it  is  more  difiicult  to 
retain  him  in  "  equilibrium ;"  therefore,  after  the 
"  Walk,"  begin  with  a  steady  collected  "Trot." 

It  is  necessary,  in  order  to  make  the  horse  handy, 
to  exercise  him  at  "Trotting  out,"  but  it  is  not 
enough  that  he  should  trot  fast ;  the  quickness  of 
the  pace  should  not  detract  from  his  lightness  in 
hand,  or  the  ease  with  which  he  should  be  capable 
of  answering  all  indications  of  the  hand  and  leg. 


THE  horse's  paces.  43 

Tlie  hand  must  be  constantly  at  work  to  retain  the 
head  and  neck  in  tlieir  proper  position,  without  coun- 
teracting the  forward  impulse  communicated  by  the 
leg ;  and  thus  the  horse  placed  between  two  powers 
(hand  and  leg),  which  only  oj^pose  his  bad  qualities, 
will  soon  develop  his  good  ones,  and  acquire  regu- 
larity of  pace,  increased  speed,  and  that  safety  which 
is  natural  to  a  horse  well  balanced  and  light  in  hand. 
In  speaking  here  of  increased  speed  combined  with 
obedience  to  hand  and  leg,  no  reference  is  made  to 
the  speed  obtained  for  trotting  matches,  which  is 
done  by  making  the  horse  throw  his  weight  forward 
and  bore  on  the  hand. 

A  horse  out  of  hand,  when  trotting  fast,  seldom 
moves  evenly  with  his  hind-legs ;  he  struggles  and 
drags  them  after  the  fore.  "We  should  find  it  very 
difficult  to  hold  such  a  horse  together ;  but  a  horse 
that  had  been  properly  reined  in  would  be  easily 
managed ;  the  hand  would  bring  his  head  home, 
whilst  the  jDressare  of  the  legs  brought  his  hind- 
quarters under  him,  and  thus  we  should  maintain  his 
balance,  whilst  the  limbs  in  action  j)assed  from  the 
bend  to  the  extension  before  the  weight  of  the  body 
required  their  support. 

Canter. — Is  a  repetition  of  bounds,  during  which 
the  forehand  rises  first,  and  higher  than  the  hind- 
•  quarters. 

The  horse  being  properly  placed,  light  in  hand  and 
well  balanced,  throw  his  weight  from  the  forehand 


44:  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAIXING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

to  tlie  liannclies  (by  increasing  the  pressure  of  the 
legs  and  restraining  him  with  the  reins),  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  hand  you  wish  to  strike  off  to,  throw 
the  weight  of  the  horse  to  the  opposite  side ;  that  is, 
if  he  is  to  lead  oif  with  the  off  fore,  followed  by  off 
hind  (or  canter  to  the  right  on  the  circle),  throw  the 
weight  to  his  near  side,  principally  upon  the  left 
hind-leg,  and  thus  almost  fix  it  to  the  ground.  This 
is  done  by  feeling  both  reins  to  the  left,  and  closing 
the  right  leg  ;  the  horse's  head  remains  placed  to  the 
right,  and  the  left  leg  merely  prevents  him  from 
throwing  out  his  haunches.  The  horse's  off  legs  are 
thus  at  liberty,  and  the  forward  impulse  obliges  him 
to  use  them ;  at  least  he  could  not  do  otherwise  with- 
out difficulty. 

When  speaking  of  feeling  both  reins  to  the  left, 
the  horse's  head  bent  to  the  right,  it  is  not  to  turn  the 
horse's  head  to  the  left,  but  to  brins^  his  weisrht  to 
the  near  side. 

A  horse  may  canter  false,  disunited  with  the  fore 
or  disunited  with  the  hind  legs. 

Cantering  to  the  right  on  a  circle : 

1.  If  the  horse  leads  w^itli  his  left  fore  followed  by 
his  left  hind  leg,  he  is  cantering  false. 

2.  He  is  "  disunited  with  the  fore,"  if  leading  with 
the  left  fore  followed  by  the  right  hind  leg. 

3.  And  "  disunited  with  the  hind-legs,"  if  leading 
with  the  right  fore  the  right  hind  leg  remains  fiu'- 
ther  back  than  the  left  one. 


45 

In  these  three  cases,  the  horse  when  he  struck  off, 
was  not  properly  placed  and  well  balanced. 

In  the  first  instance,  he  could  only  have  succeeded 
ill  striking  off  to  the  left  by  first  throwing  his  weight 
on  to  the  right  legs  ;  to  rectify  this,  feel  both  reins 
to  the  left  (horse's  head  remains  placed  to  the  right), 
to  throw  the  weight  to  the  horse's  left  side,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  close  the  left  leg  to  bring  his 
haunches  in. 

In  the  second  instance,  when  the  horse  struck  off, 
too  much  weight  was  thrown  on  the  right  fore-leg  ; 
to  rectify  this,  throw  the  weight  of  the  horse  from 
the  forehand  to  the  haunches  (by  restraining  him 
with  the  reins),  at  the  same  time,  feel  both  reins  to 
the  left  to  relieve  the  weight  from  the  right  fore-leg, 
and  close  the  right  leg  to  keep  the  horse's  haunches 
steady. 

In  the  third  instance,  when  the  horse  struck  off, 
too  much  weight  was  thrown  on  the  right  hind-leg, 
to  rectify  this,  throw  the  w^eight  of  the  horse  from 
the  haunches  to  the  forehand  (by  the  pressure  of  the 
legs),  close  the  left  leg  more  than  the  right,  and  at 
the  same  time  keep  the  forehand  steady  with  the 
reins. 

In  these  instances,  take  a  good  hold  of  your  horse's 
head,  though  without  allowing  him  to  bore  on  your 
hand ;  otherwise  the  leg  only  communicates  a  forward 
impulse,  and  thus  the  effect  on  the  hind-quarter  is 
lost. 


46  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

Always  place  your  horse  properly  and  have  him 
well  balanced  before  yon  strike  him  off. 

Teach  him  to  strike  off  to  the  right,  on  the  circle 
first,  then  on  the  straight  line. 

Then  teach  him  the  same  to  the  left ;  and  after 
that,  try  him  at  changing  leg. 

A  horse  cantering  on  a  straight  line,  light  in  hand 
and  well  balanced,  is  made  to  change  leg  in  the  same 
way  that  he  is  made  to  strike  off  to  either  hand  from 
a  walk.  Violent  effects  of  force  should  be  avoided, 
which  would  bewilder  the  horse  and  destroy  his  light- 
ness. "  It  must  be  remembered,  that  this  lightness, 
which  should  precede  all  changes  of  pace  and  direc- 
tion, and  make  every  movement  easy,  graceful  and 
inevitable,  is  the  important  condition  to  be  sought 
after  before  every  thing  else." 

If  a  horse  is  so  far  broken  in,  so  far  under  control 
of  hand  and  leg,  as  to  be  unable  to  do  any  thing 
unless  you  wish  it,  all  his  capabilities  are  at  your 
disposal ;  you  can  throw  the  weight  on  each  limb  in 
succession,  and  change  leg  at  every  stride. 

The  great  secret  is  therefore  this  ;  ''  take  the  weight 
off  the  legs  you  wish  the  horse  to  lead  with."  This  is 
the  only  one  of  the  many  different  ways  laid  down 
which  is  founded  on  principle  and  common  sense.  Try 
it  yourself,  go  down  on  all  fours,  throw  your  weight  on 
the  left  hand  and  leg,  then  try  to  move  forward,  and 
see  whether  it  be  not  absolutely  necessary  to  do  so 
with  the  right  hand  and  leg. 


CIRCLING    ON   THE   FOREHAND    AND   HAUNCHES.       47 

How  to  work  a  horse  to  the  right  has  been  here  de- 
scribed ;  the  means  employed  to  the  left  are  the  same, 
thongli  of  course  reversed. 

In  workino;  on  a  straio;ht  line,  the  horse's  head  re- 
mains  placed  to  the  front,  and  the  rider  w^ill  bear  his 
bridle-hand  to  the  "right"  or  "left"  and  press  the  op- 
posite leg,  according  to  the  hand  he  wishes  to  strike 
his  horse  off  to  ;  and  he  must  carefully  avoid  throw- 
ing his  horse's  forehand  roughly  to  either  side. 


Fourth  Lc§soii. — (Five  days.) 

Circling  on  the  Forehand  and  Haunches  to  toth  Hands. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  when  circling  on 
the  forehand,  stop  the  horse  with  the  inward  leg  and 
outward  rein,  at  each  step ;  make  a  pause ;  feel  both 
reins,  close  both  legs,  and  press  him  up  to  the  hand  ; 
ease  the  rein  and  leg,  take  another  step  with  the 
haunches,  stop  him  again,  "  Kein  him  In,"  and  close 
your  legs.  This  is  very  useful,  it  prevents  the  horse 
from  getting  into  a  habit  of  running  around  w^ith  his 
haunches,  it  makes  him  obedient,  as  it  teaches  him 
not  to  yield  to  habit,  but  to  trust  to  the  rider's  hand 
and  leg  alone  for  guidance ;  and  it  accustoms  him  to 
collect  himself  at  all  times,  and  thus  he  is  always 
ready. 

To  this  it  is  particularly  desired  to  draw^  the  atten- 
tion, as  it  is  attended  with  many  good  results ;    for 


48  SiTSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALEY   IIOESES. 

hereafter  every  position  the  horse  is  placed  in,  and 
every  impulse  communicated  by  the  rider,  will  be 
followed  by  a  voluntary  attempt  on  the  horse's  part 
to  collect  himself,  in  which  he  can  be  maintained  and 
confirmed  by  the  least  possible  assistance  from  the 
rider. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge  on  the  great  advantages 
thus  derived  from  this  simple  lesson. 

Before  putting  the  squad  in  motion,  give  the  word, 
'^  Bein  in  your  Horses. '^^  Caution  the  men  to  close 
their  legs  to  the  horse's  sides,  and  to  bring  the  spurs 
as  close  as  possible  without  touching  them.  Give  the 
word  "A^wr;"  the  left  hand  is  held  steadily  down  and 
the  spur  applied  very  gently  at  first ;  the  horse  should 
•  not  move  from  his  ground,  but  merely  arch  his  neck. 
This  must  be  repeated  two  or  three  times,  always  qui- 
eting the  horse  after  the  spur  has  been  given. 

RejDeat  this  as  well  as  the  above  at  intervals  during 
the  lesson. 

The  "  Eeining  Back"  is  now  to  be  practised  often, 
bringing  the  squad  "  to  the  right"  or  "  to  the  left," 
moving  nearly  across  the  school  and  halting  to  rein 
back  to  the  track.  Be  careful  that  the  men  apply  the 
legs  first,  and  then  feel  the  reins,  to  make  the  horse 
step  back.  See  that  they  sit  upright  in  their  saddles ; 
do  not  hurry,  and  be  satisfied  with  one  step  at  a  time. 

In  this  lesson,  practise  "  Circling  on  the  Haunches" 
to  both  hands,  and  canter  a  few  turns  on  the  circle  to 
right ;  perfect  the  horses  at  their  "  Trotting  Lesson," 


/'/.//. 


ON    THE   HAUNCHES    ABOUT.  49 

"  Half-Passage,"  "  Passage,"  and  end  tlie  lesson  as 
it  was  commenced,  by  Circling  on  tlie  Foreliand,  &c. 
Before  filing  olf,  go  through  with  the  Bending  Lessons 
on  foot. 


Fiftli  LiCSSoaB.-— (Seven  days.) 
Oji  the  Haunches  About. 

Go  through  with  "Lesson  Xo.  4,"  and  then  proceed 
to  make  use  of  the  "  Spur"  on  the  move. 

The  squad  being  at  a  walk,  tlie  horses  are  brought 
to  bear  the  application  of  the  spur  without  breaking 
from  the  walk,  or  throwing  their  haunches  "in"  or 
"  out."  After  applying  the  spur,  if  the  horses  get 
unsteady,  halt  and  quiet  them.  "Keining  Back" 
must  now  be  practised  as  much  as  possible. 

Halt  the  squad  on  the  side  of  the  school  frequently, 
and  give  the  word,  "'On  the  Haunches  Abouty  (Yide 
plate  11.)  At  this  caution  throw  the  horse's  weight 
from  the  forehand  to  the  haunches,  and  feel  the  out- 
ward snaffle-rein  with  the  right  hand  (wdien  working 
to  the  right,  passing  the  hand  over  to  it) ;  horses'  heads 
bent  to  where  they  are  to  turn  to.  (See  Instructions 
for  Circling  on  the  Haunches.) 

On  the  word  "J/^r^A,"  bring  both  hands  inward, 
applying  the  outward  leg  to  turn  the  horse  round,  at 
the  same  time  raising  the  fore-feet  from  the  ground, 
by  a  feeling  of  both  reins,  and  a  pressure  of  both 
legs  ;  the  outward  snaffle-rein  assisting  in  keeping  the 
3 


50  SYSTEM   FOR   TEAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

liaimclies  steady  ;  and  tlie  liorse,  turning  on  tlie  hind 
leg  on  that  side  to  which  he  goes  about.  When  round, 
the  men  will  resume  the  position  of  their  hands  and 
legs.  The  horses  should  be  squared,  quieted,  and 
made  much  of  before  they  are  put  about  again. 

After  the  trotting  and  bending  lessons,  practice  the 
horses  at  cantering  on  the  circle,  and  to  both  hands, 
always  striking  them  off  from  a  walk,  frequently 
bring  them  to  a  walk,  without  allowing  them  to  fall 
first  into  a  trot,  and  always  bring  them  to  a  walk  for 
the  changes  ;  on  no  account  let  the  leading  files  hurry. 
Practise  "  Reining  Back,"  and  finish  with  the  "  Bend- 
ing Lessons"  (both  for  the  neck  and  loins),  as  usual. 

§ixth  I-e§SOll.— (Seven  Days.) 

Going  About  on  the  Forehand. 

Go  through  with  "  Lessons  E'os.  4  and  5,"  and  after 
you  have  practised  "  On  the  Haunches  About,"  Iialt 
the  squad  on  the  side  of  the  school,  and  give  the  word, 
''^On  the  Forehand  About  f^  horses'  heads  remain  bent 
inward,  but  the  reins  must  both  be  equally  felt  outward, 
to  throw  the  weight  to  that  side  (for  the  horses  turn 
on  their  outward  fore-leg),  close  the  inward  leg  slightly, 
and  in  front  of  the  girths,  to  dispose  the  horse  to 
raise  his  inward  fore-leg.  On  the  word  "  March," 
feel  the  outward  rein,  and  apply  firmly  the  outwai-d 
leg,  the  inward  one  keeping  the  horse  up  to  the  hand, 
and  preventing  liim  from  reining  back. 


FIJ2. 


FINISHING   LESSON.  51 

The  horses  slioiild  be  able  to  do  these  "  demi-Piroii- 
ettes  renversees"  easily,  from  being  accustomed  to 
circle  daily  on  the  forehand  ;  and  this  Avay  of  throw 
ing  the  horse  about  is  as  useful  to  a  soldier  in  hand- 
to-hand  conflict  as  the  going  about  on  the  haunches. 

When  a  horse  makes  a  complete  circle  in  turning 
on  one  of  his  hind-legs,  it  is  a  "  Pirouette."  (Yide 
plate  Xo.  12.)  "  On  the  Haunches  About,"  or  a  half- 
circle  on  one  of  his  hind-legs,  is  a  "  demi-Ph*ouette ;" 
both  of  these  are  made  on  the  hind-leg,  as  a  pivot, 
on  the  side  to  which  you  circle  the  forehand.  When 
he  makes  a  complete  circle  in  turning  on  one  of  his 
fore-legs,  it  is  a  "  Pirouette  renversee  ;"  "  On  the  Fore- 
hand About,"  or  a  half-circle  on  one  of  his  fore-legs, 
is  a  "  demi-Pirouette  renversee ;"  in  these  instances  it 
is  the  fore-leg  on  the  side  opposed  to  that  to  which 
the  haunches  circle,  that  is  the  pivot  roimd  which  the 
other  three  legs  turn. 

Practise  "  Eeining  Back,"  the  "  Passage"  to  both 
hands,  and  "  Cantering"  on  the  circle,  but,  as  in  the 
preceding  lesson,  bring  them  to  a  walk  for  the 
chana:es.     Finish  with  the  usual  "  Bendino;  Lessons." 

Seventli  licsson. — (Fourteen  Days.) 

Perfecting  the  Horses  in  the  Preceding  Lessons, 

111  the  last  fourteen  days,  you  perfect  the  horses  in 
all  their  preceding  lessons,  and  bring  them  to  work 
steadily  and  well  at  a  canter,  including  ^'  changes  of 


62  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

leg,"  "  half-passage,"  accustoming  tliem  to  "  siglits 
and  sounds,"  &c.,  &c. 

Be  careful  to  shorten  the  walking  and  trotting  les- 
sons in  proportion  as  you  increase  the  cantering. 
Trot  for  a  few  minutes ;  then  the  Bending  Lessons, 
short  but  not  hurried ;  and  at  once  to  the  Cantering, 
which  is  now  the  chief  object. 

Of  course,  it  is  unnecessary  to  remind  the  Instruc- 
tor, that  "  reining  back  "  and  the  "  use  of  the  sj^ur," 
as  well  as  going  about  on  the  ''  forehand "  and 
"  haunches,"  should  be  practised,  as  opportunity  of- 
fers, during  the  whole  lesson. 

When  cantering,  never  cease  making  the  men  work 
to  collect  the  pace ;  the  more  collected  it  is,  the  better. 
The  "  leading  files,"  are  the  men  to  look  to.  Never 
keep  a  man  at  the  head  of  a  squad,  who  cannot  col- 
lect his  horse  to  any  pace  required  of  him  ;  it  makes 
the  greatest  difference  in  the  bringing  on  of  the 
horses. 

Look  to  the  position  of  the  men's  hands,  and  their 
seats  on  horseback,  get  their  legs  close,  and  2^1'event 
them  from  sticking  out  stiffly  and  away  from  the 
horse's  sides,  which  is  a  great  though  a  very  common 
fault,  elbows  back,  liands  low,  the  lower  the  better, 
and  close  to  the  body,  heads  up,  and  heels  down  ;  all 
this  contributes  greatly  to  assist  the  horse  in  his  work. 

Practise  the  sabre  exercise  (attack  and  defence), 
first  at  a  walk,  until  the  horses  are  steady  ;  and  when 
doing  it  at  a  canter,  if  an}'  of  them  show  symptoms 


FINISHING   LESSON.  53 

of  fear,  tlie  men  slionld  return  to  "  guard"  imniedi- 
atelj,  quiet  them,  and  try  it  again. 

On  the  fourtli  day,  if  the  horses  get  on  well  at 
•changing  leg,  the  half-passage  is  to  be  practised  at  a 
canter,  to  both  hands ;  but  this  must  be  done  carefully, 
the  horses  well  led  off  with  the  inward  rein,  tlie  out- 
ward leg  applied  well  behind  the  girth,  and  the  inward 
leg  used  to  make  them  gain  ground  to  the  front.  The 
men  are  very  apt  to  use  the  outward  leg  too  much, 
and  thus  bring  their  horses'  hind-quarters  so  far 
in  that  instead  of  the  head  and  neck  leading,  the 
haunches  lead. 

This  being  quite  an  unnatural  performance  and  a 
painful  one  to  require  of  the  animal,  he  is  very  apt 
to  turn  restive  and  stop.  The  Instructor  must  be 
keenly  alive  to  this  fault,  and  immediately  order  the 
horse  to  be  led  off  wdth  the  "  inward  rein"  and  "  in- 
ward leg,"  to  place  him  in  his  proper  position,  with 
head  and  neck  leading. 

To  change  leg  at  "  half-passage"  at  a  canter,  bring 
the  horse's  back  square  on  the  track,  and  do  not  let 
the  men  change  the  position  of  the  horse's  head  until 
the  haunches  are  squared  on  the  track  ;  otherwise  the 
liorses  w^ill  get  into  a  trick  of  changing  too  soon. 

Immediately  after  the  "half-passage,"  the  word 
"i?i  circle'''  is  given,  and  the  horses  are  kept  on  the 
circle  until  they  all  canter  true. 

In  dividing  the  work  to  be  gone  through  into  les- 
sons, particularizing  what  is  to  be  done  each  day  in 


54  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING    CAVALRY   HORSES. 

succession,  tliis  course  of  instruction  is  based  upon 
what  is  required  for  horses  in  general  Much  is  left 
to  the  judgment  of  the  Instructor,  who  must  vary  the 
application  of  some  lessons,  according  to  the  disposi- 
tion and  temper  of  the  horses.  One  may  require 
to  have  more  perseverance  used  in  his  bending  les- 
sons ;  another  in  reining  back ;  a  third,  sluggish  and 
lazy,  may  require  the  use  of  the  spur  before  the  time 
laid  down.  For  this  no  rule  can  be  laid  down,  and 
it  must  be  left  to  the  Instructor ;  but  for  all  that,  the 
time  given  is  sufficient  to  bring  any  horse  under  con- 
trol that  has  not  been  thoroughly  spoiled  by  previous 
mismanagement ;  though  it  will  depend  upon  the 
rider,  how  far  the  horse  is  brought  on  within  that 
time. 

A  SHORT  EXPLANATION  OF  THIS  SY^STEM  IN  QUESTIONS  AND 
ANSWERS,  FOR  THE  INSTRUCTION  OF  NON-CO^OIISSIONED 
OFFICERS  AND  MEN. 

1.  To  hreah  in  a  horse ^  how  do  you  hegin  f 
With  the  head  and  neck. 

2.  Why? 

Because  the  head  and  neck  should  precede  or  begin 
ev<3ry  movement  of  the  horse. 

3.  How  do  you  set  about  it  f 

By  teaching  the  horse  to  obey  the  feeling  of  the 
reins. 

4.  Do  you  do  this  on  foot  or  on  horseback  f 

I  begin  with  the  bending  lessons  on  foot,  and  thus 
prepare  the  horse  to  obey  the  hand  when  mounted. 


EXPLANATION    OF   THE    SYSTEM.  55 

5.  What  follows  f 

Teaching  the  horse  to  obey  the  pressure  of  the  leg. 

6.  How  is  this  done  f 

Bj  circling  him  on  the  forehand  and  haunches. 

7.  Is  the  horse  then  sufficiently  hroJcen  in  f 

ISTo.  For  as  yet  I  have  only  reduced  separately  to 
obedience,  the  head  and  neck,  the  shoulders  and  the 
haunches,  one  after  the  other. 

8.  To  derive  any  great  advantage  from  these  several 
separate  acts  of  ohedience  on  the  part  of  the  horse^ 
what  must  you  do  f 

I  must  know  how  to  combine  them,  and  exact  obe- 
dience from  all  collectively. 

9.  But  how  can  you  do  this  f 

I  can  bring  the  horse's  head  home  (because  he  has 
already  been  taught  to  rein  in). 

I  can  keep  his  hind-quarters  on  a  straight  line  (for 
by  circling  on  the  forehand,  the  horse  has  learnt  to 
step  to  the  right  or  left,//^6>7?^  the  pressure  of  the  leg). 

I  can  move  his  forehand  (from  having  circled  on 
the  haunches). 

I  therefore  now  proceed  to  rein  back,  and  bring  his 
loins  into  play. 

10.  Will  "  rehiing  lacW  alone^  then^  combine  the 
play  of  forehand  and  haunches? 

Kot  thoroughly,  without  the  use  of  the  spur. 

11.  Then  in  lohat  way  does  the  spur  assist  ? 

By  the  use  of  the  spur  I  oblige  the  horse  to  bring 
his  head  and  neck,  shoulders,  loins  and  haunches,  all 


56  SYSTEM   FOE    TKAINING    CAVALKY    H0ESE3. 

into  play  at  tlie  same  time  ;  and  hy  degrees  I  exact 
obedience  from  tliem  collectively. 

13.  Explain  how  this  is  do7ie. 

I  keep  the  horse  at  a  walk  on  the  straight  line,  his 
head  reined  in,  and  approaching  the  spnr  close  to  his 
sides,  tonch  him  lightly  at  first.  This  gives  the  horse 
a  forward  impnlse,  which  I  quietly  control  by  keeping 
my  hand  steady,  while  the  horse's  hind-legs,  which 
he  brought  nnder  him  to  spring  forward,  are  suddenly 
kept  there  by  the  opposition  of  my  hand.  I  then 
make  much  of  him  and  caress  him,  ease  my  hand, 
letting  him  continue  to  walk  on  quietly,  till,  by  re- 
peating this  lesson,  at  the  slightest  pressure  of  my 
legs  he  brings  his  haunches  under  him,  and  arches 
his  neck,  and  is  ready  to  spring  forward,  to  rein  back, 
or  turn  to  either  hand. 

13.  Bxit  suppose^  ichen  you  stick  the  spurs  into  him,, 
he  throws  up  his  hcad^  and  dashes  off  loith  you  f 

Tliis  could  not  happen  to  me,  because  I  should  never 
communicate  an  impulse  with  the  leg  which  I  could 
not  control  with  the  hand.  I  begin  by  touching  his 
sides  so  lightly,  and  taking  it  so  coolly,  neither  moving 
hand  nor  leg,  that  the  horse  is  never  alarmed,  thinks 
nothing  of  it  at  first,  and  thus  I  go  on,  gradually  in- 
creasing the  dose,  till  he  takes  as  much  as  is  "  neces- 
sary^'''' and  "  cannot  help  himself  ^ 

14.  When  do  you  know  that  the  horse  has  taken  as 
much  as  is  "  necessary  f 

"When  I  feel  the  horse  so  buoyant  and  light  under 


CATECHISM.  67 

me  tliat  I  can  make  him  spring  forward,  rein  back,  or 
turn  to  any  side  witli  perfect  ease. 

15.  And  how  is  it  that  ''he  cannot  help  hi^aselfP 
Because  I  have  made  myself  master,  by  degrees,  of 

all  his  strong  places,  being  careful  to  attack  them  one 
by  one,  and  never  to  attempt  ]^o.  2  till  I  was  in  full 
possession  of  No.  1. 

16.  Then^  according  to  your  showing^  you  first  niaJce 
yourself  master  of  the  forehand,  then  of  the  Jtamiches, 
and  then  you  comJjine  the  play  of  hoth  hy  **  reining 
hack^^  and  using  the  spur.  Do  you  now  consider 
yourself  inaster  of  your  horse  V 

Yes,  I  do. 

IT.  ^Yhen  you  hend  your  horse  to  the  right  and  left, 
whether  on  foot  or  mounted,  is  it  suficient  thctt  he 
should  champ  the  hit  f 

Not  quite,  he  should  open  his  mouth  and  take  no 
hold  of  it. 

18.  Do  you  continue  these  hending  lessons  long? 
Until  the  horse  yields  and  opens  his  mouth  at  the 

slio:htest  feelino;  of  the  reins. 

19.  Li  "  reining  hack^^  which  comes  first,  "  the 
pressure  of  the  legs^'*  or  "  the  feeling  of  the  reins  f 

First,  the  pressure  of  the  legs,  and  then  the  feel- 
ing of  the  reins. 

20.  ^Yhyf 

Because  the  support  (the  hind-leg)  must  be  dis- 
placed before  the  weight  is  thrown  on  it.    If  the  reins 

are  felt  first,  the  whole  weiglit  of  the  horse  is  throTvn 
3* 


68  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING    CAVALRY   HORSES. 

on  liis  liind-legs  ;  and  how  can  he  then  lift  them,  and 
step  back.  If  lie  succeeds  in  lifting  one  leg,  it  is  with 
a  great  effort,  and  he  w^ill  fall  hack,  on  it  rather  than 
step  back,  and  thus  injure  his  houghs,  if  forced  to 
repeat  it  often  ;  whereas,  by  a  pressure  of  both  legs, 
I  make  him  raise  one  hind-leg  ;  and  at  that  moment, 
by  feeling  both  reins,  I  oblige  him  to  put  that  foot 
down,  back  instead  of  forward.  I  do  not  throw  the 
horse  off  his  balance,  and  he  can  continue  stepping 
back,  with  as  little  effort  as  stepping  to  the  front. 

21.  Do  the  hand  and  leg  work  sejyarately  f 
^o,  they  should  always  assist  each  other. 

22.  When  circling  on  the  forehand  do  you  ever 
halt  the  horse  f 

Yes.  "When  the  leg  is  applied,  the  horse  moves  from 
it,  but  when  the  pressure  ceases,  the  horse  should  no 
longer  step  from  it ;  otherwise,  when  he  once  begins 
passaging,  he  is  not  easily  stopped  ;  and  to  prevent  a 
horse  getting  into  this  bad  habit,  as  well  as  to  teach 
him  to  collect  himself,  whenever  the  leg  is  applied, 
after  each  step  in  circling  on  the  forehand,  I  stop  him 
by  closing  the  inward  leg  ;  and  by  a  pressure  of  both 
legs,  I  collect  and  press  him  up  to  the  hand,  but  I 
never  allow  him  to  hurry. 

23.  And  now  how  do  you  jpidl  uj)  a  horse  when  at 
full  speed  f 

By  closing  both  legs,  and  feeling  both  renis. 

24.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  pull  up  a  horse 
when  at  speed  hy  "  the  use  of  your  legs  .^" 


PIAFFER.  59 

Yes.  Tlie  liorse  is  so  accustomed  at  the  pressure  of 
tlie  rider's  legs  to  bring  liis  liaunclies  under  him,  that 
he  does  so  at  speed  also,  and  I  seize  that  moment  to 
keep  him  there  by  throwing  myself  back,  feeling  both 
reins  at  the  same  time. 

25.  If  yoit  did  not  use  your  legs  lohat  vjould  hap- 
pen? 

If  I  did  not  use  my  legs,  but  merely  pulled  at  the 
bridle,  the  horse  would  put  his  head  up  or  down,  and 
though  I  should  by  strength  of  arm  pull  him  up  in 
time,  it  would  be  entirely  on  his  forehand,  his  hind- 
quarters up,  his  loins  arched,  and  I  should  be  thrown 
up  and  down  in  the  saddle  in  a  very  helpless  way, 
and  thus  quite  unfit  to  act  on  an  emergency,  as  the 
horse  would  be  under  no  control.* 


PIAFFEK. 

For  the  "  Piaffer"  to  be  regular  and  graceful,  the 
horse's  alternate  legs  (off  fore  and  near  hind,  and  the 
near  fore  and  off  hind)  must  be  raised  and  brought  to 
the  ground  together,  the  intervals  of  time  between 
each  footfall  being  made  as  long  as  possible. 

*  By  the  above  means  we  can  bring  the  horse  in  about  two  months 
to  be,  Generally  obedient; — Light  in  hand; — To  carry  himself  well; — 
'10  walk  and  trot,  steadily  and  quickly,  and  always  in  hand ; — To  rein 
back  freely,  and  close  steadily  to  either  hand; — To  canter  to  both 
hands  and.  change  leg ; — To  go  about  on  the  forehand  and  haunches 
(Pirouette) ; — And  thus  make  him  a  useful  Cavalry  horse. 


60  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINING   CAVALKY   HOKSES. 

The  liorse  must  neither  lean  on  liancl  or  leg,  and  his 
balance  should  be  perfect.     (Vide  plate  13.) 

Begin  by  communication  an  impulse  with  the  legs, 
light  at  first,  but  often  repeated ;  then  let  the  horse 
walk  on,  closing  your  legs  gradually,  and  exciting 
him  to  increase  his  action  ;  then,  then  only,  feel  the 
reins  in  concert  with  the  legs,  and  at  the  same  inter- 
vals of  time,  keej)ing  up  an  imperceptible  incitement, 
which  reacts  on  the  horse,  and  makes  him  keep  his 
legs  going,  though  without  any  regularity  or  precis- 
ion. Be  satisfied  with  this  at  first,  and  whenever  the 
horse  raises  his  legs,  bringing  them  to  the  ground 
again  without  gaining  much  ground  to  the  front,  halt, 
and  make  much  of  him,  and  soothe  him  after  the  ex- 
citement you  have  caused,  by  recpiiring  of  him  that 
the  object  of  which  he  does  not  yet  understand. 

Once  the  horse  is  brought  to  keep  his  legs  moving, 
then  beo^in  to  reo-ulate  and  increase  the  interval  of 
time  at  which  he  raises  them  and  brings  them  to  the 
ground. 

It  is  by  the  pressure  of  each  leg  in  succession  you 
obliire  the  horse  to  remain  lonc^er  balanced  on  the 
opposite  side.  At  the  moment  the  horse  is  prepai-ing 
to  bring  his  fore-leg  to  the  ground,  close  your  leg  on 
the  same  side ;  if  you  do  this  at  the  proper  time,  the 
horse  will  balance  himself  slowly  from  side  to  side, 
and  raise  his  legs  well  off  the  ground. 

By  quickening  the  alternate  pressure  of  your  legs, 
you  quicken  the  "  Piafi^er  ;"  it  therefore  depends  upon 


PL  IS. 


HOW   TO   BE   PKACTISED.  61 

yourself  to  regulate  the  pace;  but  remember,  that  the 
horse  must  be  kept  in  perfect  "  equilibrium,"  and 
never  allowed  to  lean  on  hand  or  leg. 


LEAPING,  HOW  TO  BE  PEACTISED. 

The  riding-school  is  a  bad  place  to  teach  a  young 
horse  to  leap.  The  bar,  with  its  posts,  is  very  apt  to 
frighten  the  animal,  and  the  use  of  the  whip,  often 
administered  to  make  him  go  up  to  the  bar,  gives  the 
horse  a  thorough  aversion  to  it. 

Take  the  horses  into  a  field  and  over  a  low  fence 
first,  or  a  small  ditch,  not  backward  and  forward  over 
one  and  the  same  thing  to  disgust  them,  but  over  what 
obstacles  are  in  the  way,  and  then  to  the  stables. 

Few  horses  refuse,  if  led  on  by  a  steady  horse,  and 
in  this,  as  in  every  other  lesson,  let  the  increase  be 
made  by  degrees. 

Always  leap  the  horse  on  the  snafile,  and  do  not  be 
in  a  hurry. 


62  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 


M.  BAUCHEE'S  AIES  DE  MANEGE. 

Translation  from  Monsieur  Baucher^s  "  Metliode 
d'Equitation,"  explaining  the  following  jpeyform- 
ances  {called  ^^Baucher^s  Seize  Nouveaux  Airs  de 
Manege''^),  as  exhihited  hy  him  on  his  horses^  "  Pai'- 
tisan^^  '-^  Capitaine^^  ''^  Neptune ^^  and  ^^  Buridan,'^'^ 
They  are  adapted  only  for  the  circus^  hut  they  are 
hoth  extraordinary  and  interesting,  as  they  show  to 
what  extent  the  system  may  he  carried. 

"Les  etudes  premieres  bien  comprises  conduisent  a  I'erudition. 
Plus  I'esprit  a  de  consistance,  plus  il  a  de  brillant  et  de  justesse." 

{Passe-temps  Equestres.) 

Those  who  systematically  denied  the  efficacy  of 
iny  "  Methode,"  should  have  also  denied  its  results. 
But  they  were  obliged  to  admit,  together  witli  the 
public,  that  my  performance  at  the  "  Cirque  Olym- 
pique"  was  both  new  and  extraordinary  ;  though  one 
and  all  attributed  the  result  to  different  causes,  main- 
taining, of  course,  that  the  rider's  horsemanship  was 
nothing  compared  to  the  sagacity  disj^layed  by  the 
horse. 

According  to  some,  I  was  a  new  Carter,  taming  my 
horses  by  depriving  them  of  rest  and  nourishment ; 
others  would  have  it  that  I  tied  ropes  to  their  legs, 
suspended  them  in  mid-air,  and  then  made  their  limbs 


63 

play  like  those  of  puppets  ;  some,  again,  supposed 
that  I  fascinated  them  by  the  power  of  the  eye  ;  and 
part  of  the  audience,  seeing  the  horses  work  in  time 
to  my  friend  Monsieur  Paul  Cuzent's  charming  music, 
actually  maintained,  seriously,  that  the  horses  had  a 
capital  "  ear  for  music,"  and  that  they  stopped  at  once 
with  the  clarionets  and  trombones. 

Thus  music  had  more  power  over  the  horse  than  I 
had — the  beast  obeyed  an  "  ut^''  or  a  "  sol^''  "  staccato^'' 
but  my  hands  and  legs  went  for  nothing  ! 

Gould  any  one  imagine  such  nonsense  emanating 
from  peoj>le  who  actually  passed  for  horsemen  ! 

I  conceive  perfectly  that  they  could  not  at  once 
understand  the  means  employed,  because  my  "Meth- 
ode"  was  new  ;  but,  before  passing  judgment  on  it  in 
such  an  extraordinary  way,  they  should,  I  think,  have 
tried  at  least  to  make  themselves  accpiainted  with  it. 

I  found  the  old  school  of  Equitation  so  limited,  and 
its  movements  all  so  much  alike,  that  when  you  could 
do  one,  you  could  do  them  all.  The  rider  who,  on  a 
straight  line,  at  a  walk,  trot,  and  canter,  could  make 
.the  horse  work  with  his  hind  legs  upon  a  parallel  line 
to  its  fore,  could,  of  course,  work  "  Passage  Shoulder 
In^^  "  Passage  Shoulder  Out,''''  "  Shoulder  In,''''  and 
perform  the  "  Voltes  Ordinaires^^  or  "  Renversees^"* 
"  Change  of  Hand^^  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

As  for  the  "  piafFer,"  it  was  supposed  that  nature 
alone  decided  that  point. 

This  long  and  tedious  work  had  no  variety  but  in 


64  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINI2^G   CAVALKY   HORSES. 

tlie  different  names  applied  to  its  movements ;  since  it 
was  sufficient  to  conquer  the  first  difficulty  to  over- 
come all  tlie  others. 

I  therefore  invented  some  new  '^Airs  de  Manege!'' 
(movements),  the  execution  of  which  required  the 
horse  to  be  more  supple,  better  in  hand,  and  to  have 
more  finish  in  his  education  than  was  formerly  neces- 
sary. 

With  my  system,  this  was  easy  ;  and,  to  convince 
my  adversaries  that  in  my  performance  at  the  Circus 
there  was  neither  mystery  nor  magic^  I  shall  explain 
by  what  means — purely  equestrian — I  brought  the 
horses  to  execute  the  sixteen  "  Airs  de  Mcmege'^  that 
apj)eared  so  wonderful,  and  this  without  the  assistance 
of  pillars,  cavessons,  or  whips. 

I.  The  horse  hending  andj  raising  one  of  his  fore- 
legs and  holding  it  uj?^  whilst  the  remaining  three  legs 
are  fast  to  the  ground. 

Bend  the  horse's  head  slightly  to  the  right,  tlirow- 
ing  his  weight  to  the  left.  Close  both  legs  (the  left 
more  than  tlie  right)  to  prevent  the  hand  from  acting 
too  much  on  the  weight ;  then,  with  the  same  power 
you  employ  to  keep  fast  the  part  weighted  (namely, 
with  a  feeling  of  both  reins  and  a  pressure  of  the  right 
leg),  communicate  an  impulse  to  the  off  fore,  sufficient 
to  make  him  raise  and  hold  it  up. 

By  repeating  this  exercise  a  few  times,  you  can  make 
the  horse  hold  up  his  leg  as  long  as  you  like. 

IT.    TJie  horsp  resting  on  the  fore-legs^  %ohilst  the 


bauciiek's  aies  de  ma:nege.  65 

hind-legs  are  aliernately  raised  and  balanced  one  over 
the  other  I  the  hind-hg  which  is  held  up  moiling  fro7ii 
left  to  right  without  touching  the  ground^  to  hecome  in 
its  turn  the  support^  whilst  the  other  hind-leg  is  raised 
and  executes  the  same  movement. 

Circling  tlie  baunclies  to  the  right  and  left  round 
the  forehand  is  one  of  the  elementary  exercises  I  have 
laid  down  for  the  instruction  of  the  horse.  Make 
this  exercise  more  complicated  by  bringing  each  leg 
alternately  in  contact  with  the  horse's  side,  until  you 
get  him  to  step  freely  from  one  hind-leg  to  the  other, 
without  the  movement  from  right  to  left,  and  from 
left  to  right,  exceeding  a  step  each  way. 

This  w^ork  improves  and  shar23ens  the  rider's  percep- 
tion of  the  use  of  hand  and  leg,  and  prepares  the  horse 
to  re'spond  to  every  aid,  however  slight. 

III.  From  the  slow^^piaffer^^  tothefiuiclx.^^piaffer^'' 
and  vice  versa. 

The  slow  "  piaifer"  is  obtained  by  the  slow  and 
alternate  pressure  of  the  rider's  legs.  The  quick 
"  piafFer"  by  quickening  the  alternate  pressure  of  the 
leg. 

Any  horse  can  be  brought  to  "  piaiier,"  both  slow 
and  quick ;  but  perfect  "  tact"  is  indispensable,  for 
this  already  ranks  amongst  "  equestrian  difficulties." 

IV.  To  ^^rein  tach^^  with  an  equal  elevation  of  the 
alternate  fore  and  hind  feet,  which  are  raised  and 
hrought  to  the  ground  again  together ;  the  horse  ex- 
ecuting this  movement  loith  as  ranch  freedom  and  ease 


66  SYSTEM   FOR   TEAINmG   CAVALRY    HORSES. 

as  if  moving  forward^  and  apjparently  without  assist- 
ance from  the  rider. 

''  Eeiniiig  back"  is  nothing  new  in  itself,  though  it 
becomes  so  under  the  conditions  I  impose. 

It  is  only  bj  previously  making  the  horse  perfectly 
sui^ple,  and  by  having  him  well  "  reined  in,"  that  you 
can  suspend  the  horse's  body  in  such  manner,  between 
hand  and  leg,  that  the  weight  be  equally  divided,  and 
that  the  legs  acquire  equal  energy  and  activity  ;  and 
then  the  movement  is  as  easy  and  as  graceful  as  the 
mere  "  backing"  a  horse  is  painful  and  destitute  of  all 
elegance. 

y.  The  horse  lifts  the  alternate  fore  and  hind  legs, 
carries  them  hack  and  then  forward  again  to  their 
former  position^  to  alloio  of  the  opposite  two  heing 
raised  and  doing  the  same. 

If  the  horse  is  supple  and  well  in  hand,  this  move- 
ment is  easy  ;  for  when  the  horse  is  completely  sub- 
dued, he  answers  to  the  lightest  aids  applied  by  the 
rider ;  and  these  are  intended  in  this  instance  to  dis- 
place barely  sufficient  weight,  and  to  give  just  impulse 
enough  to  induce  the  movement  of  the  two  alternate 
legs. 

By  practice  the  horse  will  soon  get  accustomed  to 
this  movement.  The  animal's  intelligence  keeps  pace 
with  the  progress  made  in  his  education. 

VI.  Trot^  dv^elVmg  on  each  stride ;  the  horse  hav- 
ing raised  his  legs,  extends  them  forward,  sustaining 
them  for  a  moment  hfore  he  hrings  them  to  the  ground. 


baucher's  airs  de  manege.  67 

My  system  is  based  on  principles  wliich  reproduce 
tlieniselves  at  eacli  simple  movement.  How  mucli 
more  then  are  tliey  brouglit  into  play  in  tliese  com- 
plicated ones. 

If  tlie  "  equilibrium"  is  only  to  be  obtained  through 
lightness  in  hand,  in  return,  no  lightness  of  hand  can 
exist  without  "  equilibrium  ;"  but  when  these  quali- 
ities  are  united,  then  tlie  horse  acquires  the  facility 
of  extending  his  trot  to  the  very  furthest  limits,  and 
thus  greatly  improves  his  style  of  going. 

yn.  ^^Serpentine  Trot^'^  the  horse  turning  to  the 
right  and  to  the  left^  returning  nearly  to  the  starting 
pointy  after  taliing  fiv>e  or  six  steps  in  each  direction. 

Practise  the  horse  at  bendino;  his  head  and  neck  to 
both  hands  whilst  at  a  walk,  always  closing  the  leg 
opposite  to  the  side  you  bend  him  to,  and  keeping 
him  well  in  hand  ;  then  practise  him  at  it  in  the  same 
way  at  a  trot,  and  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  exe- 
cuting the  serpentine,  but  unless  the  above  conditions 
are  adhered  to,  the  performance  is  impossible. 

YIII.  To  halt  the  horse  on  the  spot  when  at  a  gal- 
lop^ }jy  the  use  of  the  spur. 

The  horse  having  been  reduced  to  perfect  obedience, 
and  got  well  in  hand  by  the  use  of  the  spur,  he  is 
prepared  to  be  stoj)ped  when  at  a  gallop  by  the  above 
means. 

Practise  it  from  a  slow  gallop  at  first,  and  increase 
"by  degrees  to  the  greatest  speed  ;  tl^e  legs  preceding 
the  hand  will  bring  the  haunches  under  the  horse, 


68  SYSTEM    FOR    THAINIlVG    CAVALRY    HORSES. 

when  a  sudden  feeling  of  botii  reins  stopping  them  in 
that  position,  immediately  arrests  the  further  spring 
of  the  horse. 

IX.  The  Jiorse^  without  moving  off  his  ground^ 
Iceejys  one  of  his  fore-legs  in  onotion^  j^erfonning^ 
1)1)  the  will  of  the  rider ^  that  movement  hy  which  he 
often  of  his  own  accord  shows  his  impatience  {^^jyaw- 
ivf). 

This  is  done  by  the  same  means  employed  to  make 
the  horse  hold  up  one  of  his  fore-legs,  in  which  case 
the  rider's  legs  keep  np  a  constant  pressure,  so  that 
the  force  employed  to  make  the  horse  raise  his  leg,  is 
continued  to  make  him  hold  it  there ;  whilst  in  this 
movement  the  impulse  must  be  constantly  renewed 
by  a  succession  of  slight  pressures,  in  order  to  keep 
that  leg  in  motion. 

The  horse's  leg  acquires  a  movement  subordinate 
to  that  of  the  rider,  and  if  the  leg  is  applied  at  the 
proper  moment,  it  will  appear  almost  as  if  he  moved 
the  animal  by  mechanism. 

X.  Reining  hach  at  a  trot^  the  horse  worMng  at 
the  same  regular  pace ^  the  feet  coming  to  the  ground 
at  the  same  steady  intervals  as  when  trotting  for- 
ward. 

To  rein  back  at  a  trot,  the  first  condition  required 
is  perfect  regularity  of  pace,  and  that  the  horse  shall 
be  as  much  collected  as  possible. 

Tlie  second  condition  is  dependent  entirely  on  the 
rider. 


G9 

He  must  try,  by  degrees,  whilst  collecting  tlie 
horse,  to  make  the  resources  of  the  forehand  press  on 
those  of  the  haunches,  without  upsetting  the  har- 
mony of  action  whicli  must  necessarily  exist. 

You  see,  therefore,  that  by  having  your  horse  prop- 
erly collected,  you  first  get  him  to  "  piaffer"  on  his 
own  ground,  and  then  to  "piaifer"  reining  back;  in 
time,  without  even  the  assistance  of  the  reins. 

XI.  ^^ Reining  hack  at  a  ca.nter^''  the  pace  heing  the 
same  as  when  cantering  forward,  hut  when  the  fore- 
legs are  raised  they  are  carried  hach  instead  of  for- 
ward, and  when  hrought  to  the  ground,  the  hind-legs 
retrograde  in  the  same  way. 

The  same  principles  are  applicable  to  this  as  to  the 
preceding  movement ;  the  horse  being  perfectly  col- 
lected, his  hind-legs  are  already  so  near  the  central 
point,  that  by  raising  the  forehand  the  houghs  cannot 
move  otherwise  than  "  up  and  down."^ 

A  horse  of  high  mettle  is  easily  brought  to  this 
work,  but  it  should  not  be  tried  with  an  inferior  an- 
imal. 

XII.  Changing  leg  when  at  a  canter  o,t  each  stride. 
This  is  difficult  work,  and  the  horse   must  have 

been  often  practised  at  changing  leg  to  fit  him  fijr  it. 

Before  changing  from  stride  to  stride,  teach  the 
horse  to  change  at  every  two  strides. 

It  depends  upon  the  aptitude  shown  by  the  horse, 

*  The  horse  in  raising  his  hind-legs  cannot  put  them  forward,  for  the 
forehand  is  pressing  him  back. 


70  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALKY   UOKSES. 

and  above  all,  on  the  intelligence  of  tlie  rider  ;  with 
this  last  quality  there  is  no  obstacle  he  cannot  sur- 
mount. 

The  horse  must  keep  up  the  same  degree  of  action, 
and  remain  light  in  hand  throughout,  if  he  is  to  per- 
form with  all  desirable  precision  ;  and  the  rider  must 
carefully  avoid  throwing  his  horse's  forehand  roughly 
from  side  to  side,  to  obtain  the  changes  of  leg. 

XIII.  Pirouettes  renversees  on  three  legs^  during 
which  the  horse  holds  uj?  the  fore-leg  on  that  side  to 
which  he  turns. 

"  Pirouettes  renversees"  must  be  familiar  to  a  horse 
broken  in  on  my  system,  and  I  have  shown  how  to 
make  him  hold  up  one  of  the  fore-legs. 

If  these  movements  are  well  done  separately,  they 
are  easily  combined.  In  preparing  the  horse  for  the 
"  pirouette,"  prepare  liim  at  the  same  time  to  raise 
the  fore-leg ;  once  up,  throw  tlie  weight  to  the  side 
opposed  to  that  you  are  going  to  turn  to,  by  pressing 
on  it  with  hand  and  leg ;  the  leg  on  the  side  you  turn 
to  giving  a  forward  impulse  to  the  "horse,  to  prevent 
the  hand  from  throwing  the  horse  too  much  back. 

XIY.  '•'Reining  hacli^^  pansing  at  each  step,  the 
horses  right  leg  remaining  stretched  out  and  immov- 
able over  the  ground  that  the  left  has  2MSsed  over',  and 
vice  versa. 

This  movement  depends  upon  the  cleverness  of  the 
rider,  for  it  is  the  result  of  a  combination  of  aids 
which  cannot  be  particularized. 


71 

Althoiigli  it  is  not  a  graceful  movement,  tlie  expe- 
rienced horseman  will  do  well  to  practise  it,  to  make 
himself  master  of  all  the  difficulties  of  his  profes- 
sion. 

Xy.  '''Piaffer^''  with  a  sudden  halt  on  three  legs, 
the  fourth  remaining  raised  in  the  air. 

Here  again,  as  in  the  pirouettes  on  three  legs,  it  is 
by  practising  separately  the  piaffer,  and  the  raising 
one  of  the  fore-legs,  that  you  afterward  succeed  in 
combining  the  two.  To  accustom  the  horse  to  this 
work,  stop  him  when  piaffing,  forcing  him  at  the  same 
time  to  raise  one  of  his  fore-legs. 

XYI.  Changing  leg  each  stride^  and  at  equal  inter- 
vals^ without  the  horse  moving  off  his  ground. 

This  is  done  in  the  same  way  as  on  the  move  ;  but 
it  is  much  more  complicated,  as  you  must  communi- 
cate an  impulse  only  just  sufficient  to  make  the  horse 
change  leg,  without  moving  him  forward.  It  requires 
good  management  on  the  part  of  the  rider,  and  can 
only  be  done  with  a  horse  thoroughly  broken  in,  and 
broken  in  after  my  fashion. 

The  above  are  the  new  "  Airs  de  Manege,"  which  I 
amused  myself  by  inventing,  and  performed  often  be- 
fore the  public.  They  appeared  so  extraordinary,  that 
no  one  would  believe  they  were  brought  about  by 
purely  equestrian  means ;  and  yet  they  are  simple 
enough,  and  easily  understood  by  those  acquainted 
with  the  principles  of  my  "  Method e." 

In  every  one  of  these  movements  the  precepts  of 


72  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

this  work  arebrouglit  iiitoplaj.  But  I  repeat,  tliough 
I  have  added  much  that  is  new  and  interesting  to  the 
art  of  equitation,"  I  do  not  pretend  to  have  attained  to 
its  farthest  limits  ;  and  some  one  may  follow  me,  who, 
by  studying  my  system  and  carrying  it  out  Avitli  in- 
telligence, may  surpass  me  in  my  career  and  add  to 
the  results  which  I  have  obtained. 


oinT  the  perfoemakce  of  horses  at 

LIBERTY. 

The  first  time  horses  were  seen  to  kneel,  lie  down, 
sit  at  table,  c^c,  &c.,  &c.,  it  created  great  astonish- 
ment ;  and  even  now  it  causes  some  degree  of  sur- 
prise ;  and  yet  there  are  few  persons  who  could  not 
bring  horses  to  do  these  things  by  the  following 
means. 

I  shall  leave  out  those  antics  requiring  no  clever- 
ness in  the  trainer,  no  study  for  the  horse,  which  as- 
tonish and  amuse  the  public  only  because  they  are  ig- 
norant of  tiie  means  employed.  My  object  is  iT^ot  to 
treat  of  what  the  mountebank  does,  but  merely  to 
detail  that  work  which  requires  the  man  to  have  pa- 
tience and  "  tact,"  and  which  shows  decided  intelli- 
gence in  tlie  horse. 

The  great  point  in  teaching  a  horse,  is  to  know, 
when  he  refuses  to  obey,  whether  he  does  so   from 


PERFORMANCE   OF   HORSES   AT    LIBERTY.  73 

caprice,  obstinacy,  vice,  or  from  ignorance,  and  in  tliis 
lies  the  only  difficnlty. 

If  the  horse  does  not  understand  what  yon  want, 
and  you  punish  him  because  he  does  not  understai^' 
you,  will  "he  then  understand  you  better  ? 

The  first  thing  is  to  teach  the  horse  to  know  wliai 
you  want ;  and  you  must  in  various  little  clever  ways 
try  to  make  him  sensible  of  it,  before  you  attempt  to 
impress  it  on  his  memory. 

Is  it  with  blows  that  you  will  make  him  sensible 
of  it  ?  Certainly  not :  but  make  the  object  in  view 
as  clearly  perceptible  to  his  faculties  as  you  possibly 
can :  then,  by  punishment  or  caresses,  applied  at  the 
right  moment,  impress  the  movements  required  on 
his  memory. 

The  prettiest  work  for  the  horse,  is  that  wherein 
he  is  almost  entirely  left  to  himself,  and  with  this  we 
will  begin. 

For  this  sort  of  training  a  circus  is  best ;  the  man 
is  nearer  to  his  horse,  and  can  more  easily  correct  his 
faults. 

TVe  first  teach  the  horse  to  remain  on  the  track 
near  the  boards,  at  a  w^alk,  trot,  and  gallop,  then  to 
leave  that  track,  and  turn  to  the  right  or  left. 

Put  a  surcingle  on  the  horse  with  a  ring  in  the  pad, 
to  tie  the  snaflie  or  bit  reins  to  ;  tie  these  according 
to  the  horse's  action  and  the  way  he  carries  his 
head ;  then  put  on  a  cavesson,  with  a  longe  about 
eleven  yards  long. 
4 


74  SYSTEM   FOE   TKAINING   CAY  ALKY   HORSES. 

When  the  horse  is  brought  in,  go  up  to  him  kindly 
and  give  him  some  sngar,  to  which  accustom  him  he- 
forehand  ;  hold  the  line  in  the  left  hand,  the  whip  in 
the  right ;  at  first  only  allow  him  about  six  inches  of 
longe,  and  accustom  him  to  the  cracking  of  the  w^hip  ; 
if  he  does  not  fly  from  it,  make  much  of  him  ;  place 
yourself  opposite,  and  about  three  paces  from  him, 
looking  at  him  kindly ;  horses  know  perfectly  if  you 
are  favorably  disposed  toward  them,  or  otherwise, 
and  they  will  more  readily  approach  him  whose 
look  is  kind.  You  must  be  equally  careful  in  adapt- 
ing the  inflections  of  the  voice,  as  circumstances  re- 
quire. 

These  are  by  no  means  unimportant  rules  ;  for  the 
greater  the  command  you  wish  to  obtain  over  the 
horse,  the  more  must  you  endeavor  to  make  him  un- 
derstand and  interpret  your  slightest  gesture. 

From  the  distance  he  is  at  (namely,  three  yards), 
make  him  come  to  you,  calling  out  in  a  loud  voice, 
"  d  moi'''  (here,  or  come  here).  He  will  not  under- 
stand it  the  first  time;  use  the  whip,  touching  him 
up  under  the  girth,  till  he  comes,  then  soothe  him 
after  the  punishment  administered,  pat  and  speak  to 
him,  and  give  him  some  sugar  ;  begin  again,  giving 
him  a  little  more  line,  as  soon  as  you  know^  that  he 
wdll  not  attempt  to  rush  oft';  the  horse  will  soon  learn 
to  obey  the  voice ;  at  last  let  him  out  to  the  full  ex- 
tent of  the  line,  slackening  it  at  the  word  "  d  moi  ;^'^ 
if  he  comes  at  once,  caress  him  and  give  him  some 


PEEFORMANOE   i)F   HORSES    AT   LIBERTY.  75 

sugar,  otherwise  hold  the  line  steady,  stand  fast  your- 
self, and  touch  him  up  with  the  whip  till  he  obeys. 

It  is  better  to  accustom  the  horse  to  obey  through 
fear,  than  through  the  hope  of  recompense.  He  will 
never  forget  the  causes  that  brought  punishment 
upon  him,  and  as  you  have  taught  him  to  escape  tlie 
infliction  by  coming  to  you,  he  will  obey  willingly 
and  quickly  ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  kind  means  only  are 
used,  he  might  forget  them,  and  play  some  tiick,  and 
then  how  punish  him  for  such  a  freak  ?  It  would  be 
difficult,  because  the  very  prank  he  was  playing 
would  make  him  forget  all  about  the  accustomed  re- 
ward, and  he  would  only  come  back  when  he  pleased. 
Thus  you  would  be  at  his  mercy,  for  he  would  obey 
only  when  he  bethought  himself  of  the  reward. 

You  must  make  him  fear  and  like  you  at  the  same 
time. 

The  horse  should  approach  when  you  call,  and 
throwing  your  body  back  suddenly,  should  make  him 
turn  in  any  direction. 

Lead  him  to  the  boards  on  the  right  hand,  stand 
near  his  shoulder,  holding  him  by  the  cavesson  line, 
go  away  from  him  gradually  as  soon  as  he  no  longer 
tries  to  follow  you.  Hold  the  butt  of  the  whip  to 
him  each  time  he  tries  to  leave  the  boards ;  if  he 
starts  off  in  a  trot  before  you  order  him,  give  the 
word  "  Walk^''  dwelling  on  the  word. 

If  a  horse  is  trained  by  a  patient  and  observing 
person,  the  animal's  intelligence  will  keep  pace  with 


76  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

his  education,  and  in  a  few  days  lie  will  walk  on 
steadily,  though  the  trainer  be  ten  yards  off. 

To  make  him  trot,  lift  the  hand,  show  him  the 
whip,  and  say,  "Troi^,"  raising  the  voice,  and  dwelling 
on  the  word  ;  keep  him  going,  and  prevent  him  with 
the  whip  from  falling  again  into  a  walk.  If  he  hurries, 
shake  the  line  to  restrain  him ;  bring  him  often  to  a 
walk,  using  the  word  "  Walk^^''  and  slightly  shaking 
the  line. 

Make  him  gallop  by  the  same  means,  as  far  as  the 
whip  goes,  but  when  you  say  "  Gallop^''  let  it  be  with 
a  louder  voice  than  for  the  trot.  It  is  not  the  worcl^ 
but  the  difference  of  intonation,  which  makes  him 
obey. 

From  the  '^  Gallop'^  to  the  ^^Trot^^  is  the  same  as 
from  the  '^Trof  to  the  "  TTaZ^,"  lowering  the  voice 
and  dwelling  on  the  word  "'Trot'^'' 

In  addition  to  the  variation  in  the  voice,  you  must 
assist  the  meaning  of  the  words,  by  moving  the  body 
more  or  less  energetically,  in  proportion  to  the  increase 
of  pace  you  order. 

Thus,  walk  quicker  when  he  is  galloping,  slower 
when  he  is  trotting,  and  slower  still  when  he  is  at  a 
walk. 

Though  you  are  a  good  way  from  the  horse,  he  will 
nevertheless  have  his  eye  upon  you,  and  will  follow 
more  easily  your  movements  than  the  words  of  com- 
mand, which  he  only  understands  through  the  various 
other  indications  which  accompany  them. 


PJiRFOiiMANCE   OF   HORSES    AT   LIBERTY.  T7 

The  liorse  liaving  been  accustomed  to  approacli  at 
tlie  word  "<;?  moi''^  (or  any  other  word  which  you  are 
in  the  habit  of  using),  you  throwing  your  body  back 
at  the  same  time,  he  will  easily  learn  to  tijrn  across 
the  circus  in  the  same  way  ;  give  the  word  '-^Turn  f 
if  he  hesitates,  use  the  longe  and  Avhip  to  bring  him 
to  you ;  then  lead  him  across,  remaining  at  his  shoul- 
der; after  repeating  this  till  he  comes  to  you,  walk  on 
with  him,  to  keep  him  going  to  the  opposite  side. 

Changes  of  hand  are  easier  still,  for  the  horse 
always  tries  to  avoid  you.  To  make  him  change,  get 
a  little  in  front  of  him  on  the  side  he  is  going  to,  and 
show  him  the  whip. 

The  mistrust  he  feels  induces  him  to  cut  across  the 
circus,  changing  to  the  opposite  hand ;  but  you  must 
use  the  line,  and  the  whip  if  necessary,  to  make  him 
come  to  you  first,  otherwise,  instead  of  changing  hand 
properly,  he  would  finish  by  twisting  round  on  his 
haunches. 

Caress  him  and  make  him  understand  the  way  he 
is  to  go.  In  time,  and  by  rej)eating  these  movements, 
he  will  come  to  know  them  perfectly,  and  will  then 
anticipate  your  wishes. 

This  is  so  true,  that  I  could  not  blow  my  nose  whilst " 
exercising  one  of  my  horses  without  the  movement  of 
my  arm  bringing  him  into  the  school  immediately.  I 
had  mastered  his  faculties  to  such  a  degree,  that  all 
his  attention  was  fixed  upon  me  ;  and  I  could  make 
him  do  all  manner  of  things  without  opening  my 


78  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

nioutli,  but  luerely  by  moving  my  head  or  shoulders, 
and  this  so  little  as  to  be  imperceptible  to  the  specta- 
tors. 

"When  the  horse  does  his  work  well,  take  off  the 
cavesson  ;  but  when  he  does  any  thing  wrong  put  it 
on  again.  To  prevent  disobedience,  divide  the  lesson 
into  two  parts,  working  the  first  part  with,  and  the 
second  part  without  the  cav^esson. 

To  teach  a  horse  to  "  fetch  and  carry"  requires  great 
patience ;  but,  however  small  the  success  at  first,  do 
not  be  discouraged.  It  is  during  this  interval  that 
the  lessons  are  gradually  taking  effect  on  the  horse's 
memory,  and  if  you  do  not  increase  his  difiiculties  by 
undue  haste,  he  will  profit  by  your  lessons  and  come 
to  understand  your  wishes  perfectly. 

Leave  him  in  the  stable  and  in  his  own  stall,  that 
he  may  not  fret  by  thinking  of  you.  Put  in  a  white 
cloth,  some  oats,  and  sugar,  go  up  to  his  near  side, 
pass  your  right  arm  under  his  head,  and  make  him 
open  his  mouth,  by  pressing  the  forefinger  on  his  lower 
jaw ;  with  the  left  hand  put  the  cloth  between  his 
teeth ;  keep  the  thumb  and  forefinger  on  the  upper 
and  lower  lip,  and  each  time  the  horse  tries  to  get  rid 
'of  what  he  is  holding,  press  the  lips  together  sharply, 
and  in  a  quick  and  marked  manner ;  repeat  this  a 
hundred  times  if  necessary,  always  putting  the  cloth 
with  the  oats  and  sugar  back  into  his  mouth  ;  and, 
above  all,  apply  the  slight  punishment  of  compressing 
his  lips,  at  the  proper  moment. 


PERFORMANCE   OF   UORSES   AT   LIBERTY.  79 

Some  time  after  tliis  tiresome  beginning,  the  teeth 
will  be  kept  closed  a  little  longer ;  then  caress  him 
with  hand  and  voice. 

The  oats  and  sugar  impregnated  with  saliva  will 
make  the  horse  anxious  to  taste  them,  and  he  will 
rush  at  the  handkerchief  when  you  put  it  near  his 
lips.  Lower  it  or  remove  it  to  get  him  to  follow, 
and  soon,  whenever  he  can  see,  he  will  try  to  get 
at  it. 

To  make  him  pick  it  up  off  the  ground,  say,  ^'  d 
terre^^  (on  the  ground),  if  he  does  not  take  it,  try  to 
show  him  with  your  hand  what  is  wanted,  point  out 
where  the  handkerchief  is  ;  if  he  will  not  go  to  it,  the 
eavesson  may  be  found  useful. 

Act  carefully  till  you  are  convinced  that  it  is  not 
ignorance  on  the  horse's  part ;  if,  after  picking  it  up 
once,  he  was  so  capricious  as  to  refuse  to  do  it  a  second 
time,  speak  to  him  with  severity,  and  use  the  whip, 
without,  however,  losing  your  temper. 

You  cannot,  without  punishment,  bring  even  a  well- 
trained  horse  to  passive  obedience.  It  often  happened 
to  me,  with  a  clever  mare  I  had,  that  when  I  threw 
the  handkerchief  to  some  distance,  I  could  not  prevail 
upon  her  to  pick  it  np  till  I  threatened  her  with  the 
whip,  then  she  at  once  rushed  off,  and  brought  it  to 
me. 

It  is  with  regret  I  publish  the  means  of  making  a 
horse  kneel,  limp,  lie  down,  and  sit  on  his  haunches, 
in  the  position  called  the  '^Cheval  Gastrono7yie.^^ 


80  SYSTEM   FOK   TSAINIXG   CAVALKY   HOKSES. 

This  work  is  degrading  to  the  horse  and  painful  to 
the  trainer,  who  no  longer  sees  in  the  poor  trembling 
beast  the  proud  conrser  full  of  spirit  and  energy  he 
took  such  pleasure  in  breaking  in. 

But  I  have  gone  so  far  that,  though  reluctantly,  I 
must  fulfil  the  task  I  have  imposed  upon  myself. 

To  make  a  horse  kneel,  tie  his  pastern  joint  to  his. 
elbow,  make  fast  a  longing  Ime  to  the  other  pastern 
joint ;  hfive  this  held  tight,  and  strike  that  leg  with  a 
whip  ;  the  instant  he  raises  it  from  the  ground,  pull 
at  the  longing  line  to  bend  the  leg.  He  cannot  help 
himself,  but  must  fall  on  his  knees.  Have  plenty  of 
saw-dust,  or  other  soft  substance,  to  prevent  the  horse 
hurting  himself  in  his  fall,  or  blemishing  his  knees, 
and,  to  make  it  more  safe,  wrap  something  round  the 
knees.  Make  much  of  the  horse  in  this  position,  and 
let  him  get  up  free  from  all  hindrance. 

As  soon  as  he  does  this  without  difficulty,  leave  off 
the  use  of  the  longing  line  to  make  him  bend  his  leg ; 
and  soon  after  leave  both  legs  at  liberty  ;  by  striking 
him  on  the  shins  with  the  whip,  he  will  understand 
that  he  is  to  kneel  down. 

Once  on  the  knees,  bend  his  head  well  to  the  off- 
side, and,  supporting  him  with  the  left  rein,  pull  the 
right  rein  down  against  his  neck  till  he  falls  to  the 
near  side ;  once  down  at  full  length,  make  much  of 
him,^^  and  have  his  head  held  that  he  may  not  get  up 

*  Earey's  system  was  not  known  to  the  public  at  the  time  this  was 
written. 


PERFORMANCE   OF   HORSES   AT   LIBERTY.  81 

too  suddenly,  or  before  you  wish  liim  to  do  so.  Profit 
by  liis  present  position  to  make  liim  sit  up  on  bis 
bauncbes ;  raise  bis  bead  and  neck  gently,  and  make 
bim  put  out  bis  fore-legs  ;  bave  a  good  bold  of  tbe 
bridoon  reins  witb  botb  bands,  standing  near  bis  bind- 
quarters ;  raise  bim  gradually,  and  tbus  you  will  suc- 
ceed in  a  few  lessons  in  making  bi:ii  J.v  in  tbe  position 
of  tbe  "  Clieval  GastrojiomeP 

Once  tbe  borse  is  accustomed  to  kneel,  by  using  a 
wliip  you  can  easily  make  bim  walk  on  bis  knees. 
Take  tbe  weigbt  off  tbe  rigbt  side  by  bringing  tbe 
bead  and  neck  to  tbe  left,  tben  touching  that  part 
(from  wbicb  tbe  weigbt  bas  been  removed)  witb  tbe 
wbip,  put  it  in  motion ;  wben  tbe  borse  bas  moved 
forward  on  tbat  side,  repeat  tbe  same  on  tbe  opposite 
side,  and  so  on  from  one  leg  to  tbe  other,  till  tbe  borse 
gets  quite  into  tbe  way  of  it. 

To  Make  a  Horse  Limp  in  Imitation  of  a  Lame 
Horse. 

Use  tbe  longing-line,  strike  bis  leg  with  tbe  whip 
and  bold  it  up  witb  the  line,  and  by  forcing  the  borse 
to  move  on  at  tbe  same  time,  be  must  always  fall  on 
the  leg  tbat  is  at  liberty,  and  after  a  little  practice  be 
wdll  limp  at  the  slightest  threat  witb  tbe  wbip. 

I  shall  not  expatiate  further  on  examples  of  this 
sort;  what  I  have  described  already  will  prove  quite 
sufficient  to  try  one's  patience  upon.     I  should  have 


82  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

abstained  from  tlie  subject  altogether  had  not  many 
people  expressed  a  desire  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  theory  for  thus  showing  what  an  intelligent  animal 
the  horse  really  is — a  theory  which  as  yet  had  never 
been  made  public. 

Few  people  take  to  this  sort  of  work,  and  yet  it  is 
not  without  merit,  when  carried  so  far  as  to  enable 
lis  to  see  into  the  animal's  thoughts,  and  control  his 
every  movement  by  a  mere  gesture. 

Every  trainer  of  horses  should  devote  himself  to  it 
sometimes.  It  is  by  no  means  useless  in  the  profes- 
sion ne  follows,  and  it  is  an  amusing  and  instructive 
pastime  when  not  carried  too  far. 

This  article  will  also  have  this  advantage,  that  it 
will  take  from  the  mountebank  the  sort  of  superiority 
assumed  over  "  school  riders,"  whilst  those  antics  were 
supposed  to  have  been  produced  by  means  almost 
miraculous  or  supernatural,  whereas  they  require  less 
science  and  practice  than  is  necessary  to  break  in  a 
horse  in  the  most  commonplace  way. 


MR.  karey's  method.  *  83 


EAEEY'S  METHOD  OF  TAMIXG  HOKSES. 

What  is  here  said  of  "  Earej's  Metliod  of  Taming 
Horses"  is  taken  from  "The  Art  of  Taming  Horses," 
by  the  Hunting  Correspondent -of  the  "Illustrated 
:tTews." 

This  method  is  based  upon  three  fundamental  prin- 
ciples : 

First.  That  any  horse  may  be  taught  to  do  any 
thing  a  horse  can  do,  if  taught  in  a  proper  manner. 

Second.  That  a  horse  is  not  conscious  of  his  own 
strength  until  he  has  resisted  and  conquered  a  man, 
and  that,  by  taking  advantage  of  man's  reasoning 
powers,  a  horse  can  be  handled  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  shall  not  find  out  his  strength. 

Third.  That  by  enabling  a  horse  to  examine  every 
object  with  which  we  desire  to  make  him  familiar, 
with  the  organs  naturally  used  for  that  purpose,  viz. : 
Seeing,  smelling,  and  feeling,  you  may  take  any  ob- 
ject around,  over,  and  on  him,  that  does  not  actually 
hurt  him. 

The  whole  object  of  this  "  method"  is,  to  give  the 
horse  full  confidence  in  his  rider,  to  make  him  obe- 
dient to  his  voice  and  gestures,  and  to  impress  the 
animal  with  the  belief  that  he  could  not  successfully 
resist  his  trainer. 


84  SYSTEM   FOK   TRAINING   CAVALKY    UOBSES. 

In  speaking  of  gentling  unbroken  horses,  Karey 
sajs  :  To  those  who  nnderstand  the  philosophy  of 
horsemanship,  the  spirited  horses  are  the  easiest 
trained  ;  for  when  we  have  a  horse  that  is  wild  and  live- 
ly, we  can  train  him  to  our  will  in  a  very  short  time 
— for  they  are  generally  qnick  to  learn,  and  always 
ready  to  obey.  But  there  is  another  kind  that  are  of 
a  stubborn  or  vicious  disposition ;  and  although  they 
are  not  wild,  and  do  not  require  taming,  in  the  sense 
it  is  generally  understood,  they  are  just  as  ignorant  as 
a  wild  horse,  if  not  more  so,  and  need  to  be  taught 
just  as  much  :  and  in  order  to  have  them  obey  quick- 
ly, it  is  very  necessary  that  they  should  be  made  to 
fear  their  master ;  for,  in  order  to  obtain  perfect  obe- 
dience from  any  horse,  we  must  first  have  him  fear 
us,  for  our  motto  is,  "  Fear,  love,  and  obey  ;"  and  we 
must  have  the  fulfilment  of  the  first  two  before  we 
can  expect  the  latter,  for  it  is  by  our  philosophy  of 
creating  fear,  love,  and  confidence,  that  we  govern  to 
our  will  every  kind  of  horse. 

Then,  in  order  to  take  horses  as  we  find  them,  of  all 
kinds,  and  to  train  them  to  our  liking,  we  should 
always  take  with  us,  when  we  go  into  a  stable  to  train 
a  colt,  a  long  switch  whip  (whalebone  buggy- wliips 
are  the  best),  with  a  good  silk  cracker,  so  as  to  cut 
keenly,  and  make  a  sharp  report.  This,  if  handled 
with  dexterity,  and  rightly  applied,  accompanied  by 
a  sharp,  fierce  word,  will  be  sufficient  to  enliven  the 
spirits  of  any  horse.     With  this  whip  in  your  right 


MR.  kaeey's  method.  85 

hand,  witli  tlie  lasli  pointed  backward,  enter  the  stable 
alone,  so  as  to  have  nothing  but  yourself  to  attract 
his  attention.  If  he  is  wild,  you  will  soon  see  him 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stable  from  you ;  and 
now  is  the  time  to  use  a  little  judgment.  I  should 
not  require,  myself,  more  than  half  or  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  to  handle  any  liind  of  colt,  and  have  him 
running  about  the  stable  after  me ;  though  I  would 
advise  a  new  beginner  to  take  more  time,  and  not  be 
in  too  much  of  a  hurry. 

*  -H-  -^  *  *  -x- 

Accordingly,  when  you  have  entered  the  stable, 
stand  still,  and  let  the  horse  look  at  you  a  minute  or 
two,  and  as  soon  as  he  is  settled  in  one  place,  approach 
him  slo\vly,  with  both  arms  stationary,  your  right 
hand  hanging  by  your  side,  holding  the  whip  as  di- 
rected, and  the  left  bent  at  the  elbow,  with  your  hand 
projecting.  As  you  approach  him,  go  not  too  much 
toward  his  head  or  croup,  so  as  not  to  make  him 
move  either  forward  or  backward,  thus  keeping  your 
horse  stationary ;  if  he  does  move  a  little  either  back- 
ward or  forward,  step  a  little  to  the  left  or  right  very 
cautiously  ;  this  will  keep  him  in  one  place.  As  you 
get  very  near  him,  draw  a  little  to  his  shoulder,  and 
stop  a  few  seconds.  If  you  are  in  his  reach  he  will 
^urn  his  head,  and  smell  your  hand,  not  that  he  has 
any  preference  for  your  hand,  but  because  that  is 
projecting,  and  is  the  nearest  portion  of  your  body  to 
the  horse.     This  all  colts  vv'ill  do,  and  tliey  will  smell 


80  SYSTEM   FOK   TKAINING   CAVALET   HOESES. 

your  naked  hand  just  as  quickly  as  they  will  of  any 
thing  that  you  can  put  in  it,  and  with  just  as  good  ai* 
effect,  however  much  men  have  preached  the  doctrine 
of  taming  horses  by  giving  them  the  scent  of  articles 
from  the  hand.  As  soon  as  he  touches  your  hand 
with  his  nose,  caress  him  kindly,  pat  him  gently  witli 
your  hand,  and  rub  your  hand  on  him  smoothly  the 
way  the  hair  lies,  always  using  a  light  soft  hand.  As 
you  stand  by  his  side,  you  may  find  it  more  conve- 
nient to  rub  his  neck  or'  the  side  of  his  head,  which 
will  answer  the  same  purpose  as  rubbing  his  fore- 
head. Favor  every  inclination  of  the  horse  to  smell 
or  touch  you  with  his  nose.  Always  follow  each 
touch  or  communication  of  this  kind  with  the  most 
tender  and  affectionate  caresses,  accompanied  with  a 
kind  look,  and  pleasant  word  of  some  sort,  such  as 
"  Ho  !  my  little  boy— ho  !  my  little  boy  !"  "  Pretty 
boy  !"  "  Nice  lady  !"  Or  something  of  that  kind, 
constantly  repeating  the  same  words,  with  the  same 
kind,  steady  tone  of  voice  :  for  the  horse  soon  learns 
to  read  tlie  expression  of  the  face  and  voice,  and  will 
know  as  well  when  fear,  love,  or  anger  prevails,  as 
you  know  your  own  feelings ;  two  of  which  a  good 
horseman  should  never  feel,  fear  and  anger. 

If  your  horse,  instead  of  being  wild,  seems  io  be 
of  a  mulish  or  stubborn  disposition  ;  if  he  lays  bact 
his  ears  as  you  approach  him,  or  turns  up  his  heels  to 
kick  you,  he  has  not  that  regard  or  fear  of  man  tliat 
he  should  have,  to  enable  you  to  handle  him  quickly 


MK.  karey's  Method.  87 

««• 

and  easily  ;  and  it  might  be  well  to  give  liim  a  few 
sharp  cuts  with  the  whip,  about  tlie  legs,  pretty  close 
to  the  body.  It  will  crack  keenly  as  it  plies  around 
his  legs,  and  the  crack  of  the  whip  will  affect  him  as 
much  as  the  stroke ;  besides,  one  sharp  cut  about  his 
legs  will  affect  him  more  than  two  or  three  over  his 
back,  the  skin  on  the  inner  part  of  his  legs,  or  about 
his  flank,  being  thinner,  is  more  tender  than  on  his 
back.  But  do  not  whip  him  much — just  enough  to 
frighten  him  ;  it  is  not  because  we  want  to  hurt  the 
horse  that  we  whip  him — we  only  do  it  to  frighten 
vice  and  stubbornness  out  of  him.  But  whatever 
you  do,  do  quickly,  sharply,  and  with  a  good  deal  of 
fire,  but  always  without  anger.  If  you  are  going  to 
frighten  him  at  all,  you  must  do  it  at  once.  ]^ever 
go  into  a  pitched  battle  with  your  horse,  and  whip 
him  until  he  is  mad,  and  will  fight  you ;  it  would  be 
better  not  to  touch  him  at  all,  for  you  will  establish, 
instead  of  fear  and  respect,  feelings  of  resentment, 
hatred,  and  ill-will.  It  will  do  him  no  good,  but 
harm,  to  strike  him,  unless  you  can  frighten  him ; 
and  if  you  can  succeed  in  frightening  him,  you  can 
whip  him  without  making  him  mad;  for  fear  and 
anger  never  exist  together  in  the  horse,  and  as  soon 
as  one  is  visible,  you  will  find  that  the  other  has  dis- 
appeared. As  soon  as  you  have  frightened  him  so 
that  he  will  stand  up  straight,  and  pay  some  attention 
to  you,  apj)roach  him  again,  and  caress  him  a  good 
deal  more  than  you  whipped  him ;  thus  you  will  ex- 


88  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAY  ALKY   HORSES. 

cite  the  two  controlling  passions  of  his  nature,  love 
and  fear  ;  he  will  love  and  fear  yon,  too ;  and,  as  soon 
as  he  learns  what  you  require,  will  obey  quickly. 

In  handling  the  horse,  commence  at  or  near  the 
head,  handling  the  ears,  tlien  advance  to  the  neck, 
then  to  the  sides,  &c.,  until  you  have  handled  and 
patted  him  from  head  to  tail  and  felt  all  his  legs.  Li 
doing  this,  you  must  proceed  in  a  careful  and  pro- 
gressive manner,  and  every  time  a  horse  shows  any 
nervousness  return  immediately  to  the  head,  and 
commence  over  again,  but  gaining  a  little  ground 
each  time. 

Proceeding  in  this  cautious,  careful  manner,  you 
can  halter  the  horse  and  teach  him  to  be  lead ;  but 
take  time,  and  remember  never  to  enter  into  a  strug- 
gle with  the  horse ;  if  you  feel  impatient,  leave  off 
and  beciin  ao;ain  another  time.  It  has  taken  Mr  Itar- 
ey  himself  two  hours  to  halter  a  colt,  which  shows 
the  great  importance  of  working  carefully  and  pa- 
tiently, and  from  the  very  commencement,  never  al- 
lowing the  horse  to  receive  wrong  impressions,  or 
gain  the  slightest  advantage  over  his  trainer. 

A  new  beginner  nmst  not,  however,  expect  to  be 
entirely  successful  the  first  time  he  undertakes  to 
break  a  colt,  but,  by  the  exercise  of  good  judgment, 
patience  and  perseverance,  feeling  neither  fear  nor  an- 
ger, he  will  eventually  attain  results  fully  compensa- 
ting him  for  his  exertions. 


89 


Teaching  a  Horse  that  Man  is  his  Master. 

After  having  gentled  a  horse  in  the  preceding 
manner,  so  that  he  can  be  handled  and  led,  the  next 
step,  if  he  be  quiet,  is  to  prevent  him  from  finding  out 
his  strength ;  if  he  be  vicious,  is  to  teach  him  that  it 
is  impossible  to  contend  successfully  with  his  trainer ; 
both  of  which  lessons  are  taught  after  the  same  man- 
ner, and  as  follows : 

Having,  then,  so  far  soothed  a  colt,  that  he  will  per- 
mit you  to  take  up  his  legs  without  resistance,  take 
strap  1  (vide  plate  1^),  pass  the  tongue  through  the 
loop  under  the  buckle  so  as  to  form  a  noose,  slip  it 
over  the  near  fore-leg  and  draw  it  close  up  to  the  pas- 
tern-joint, then  take  up  the  leg  as  if  you  were  going 
to  shoe  him,  and  passing  the  strap  over  the  fore-arm, 
put  it  through  the  buckle,  and  buckle  the  lower  limb 
as  close  as  you  can  to  the  arm  without  hurting  the 
animal. 

In  dealing  with  a  vicious  horse  or  a  colt  that  has  a 
trick  of  striking  out  with  his  fore-legs,  for  protection 
the  trainer  can  make  use  of  a  cart-wheel.  The  wheel 
may  either  be  used  loose,  or  the  animal  may  be  led 
up  to  a  cart  loaded  with  hay,  when  the  horse-tamer 
can  work  under  the  cart  through  one  of  the  wheels, 
while  the  horse  is  nibbling  the  load.  In  those  in- 
stances in  which  you  have  had  no  opportunity  of  pre- 
viously taming  and  soothing  a  colt,  it  will  frequently 
take  you  au  hour  of  quiet,  patient,  silent  perseverance 


90  SYSTEM   FOK   TKAINING-   CAVALEY   HORSES. 

before  lie  will  allow  you  to  buckle  up  liis  leg ;  if  lie  re- 
sists, you  have  nothing  for  it  hut  patience  ;  you  must 
stroke  him,  you  must  fondle  him,  until  he  lets  you 
enthral  him.  Sometimes  it  may  be  better  to  lay 
the  loop  open  on  the  ground,  and  let  the  horse  step 
into  it. 

Take  care  that  your  buckle  is  of  the  very  best 
quality  and  the  leather  sound,  for,  in  this  lesson,  the 
breaking  of  any  of  the  straps  would  give  a  temporary 
advantage  to  the  horse,  and  do  harm. 

It  is  better  the  buckle  should  be  inside  the  leg  if 
you  mean  the  horse  to  fall  toward  you,  because  then  it 
is  easier  to  unbuckle  when  he  is  on  the  ground. 

The  near  fore-leg  being  securely  strapped,  and  the 
horse,  if  so  inclined,  secured  from  biting  by  a  wooden 
bit,  the  next  stej)  is  to  make  him  hop  about  on  three 
legs. 

There  is  something  in  this  operation  of  taking  up 
one  foot  that  conquers  a  horse  quicker  and  better  than 
any  thing  else  you  can  do  to  him.  There  is  no  process 
in  the  world  equal  to  it  to  break  a  kicking  horse,  and 
without  any  danger  of  hurting  either  himself- or  you  ; 
for  in  this  position  you  can  handle  him  and  work  with 
him  either  in  or  out  of  harness,  there  being  no  danger 
of  his  kicking  you,  or  of  his  running  fast  enough  to 
do  harm. 

A  horse  can  hop  about  on  three  legs  for  some  time, 
but  he  must  be  made  to  do  so  very  gently,  speaking 
to  him  very  kindly  ;  when  he  has  hopped  as  long  as 


PI.  16 


ri.io. 


91 

yon  think  necessary  to  tire  liini,  buckle  a  surcingle  on 
his  body  tolerably  tight.  Next  you  shorten  the  bridle, 
wliich  should  have  a  thick,  plain  snaffle-bit,  so  that 
the  reins  when  loose  shall  come  nearly  straight ;  then 
take  strap  2  (vide  plate  14),  and  making  a  loop,  put 
it  round  the  off  fore-leg,  and  draw  the  loop  tight 
round  the  pastern-joint ;  pass  the  strap  through  the 
belly  part  of  the  surcingle  (vide  plate  15),  take  a  firm 
hold  of  it  with  your  right  hand,  stand  close  to  the 
horse  on  the  near  side  behind  his  shoulders,  and  with 
your  left  hand  take  hold  of  the  left  rein  of  the  bridle. 
Make  the  horse  hop,  by  gently  pulling  him  to  the 
near  side,  or  by  having  him  led,  and  the  moment  he 
lifts  up  his  off  fore-leg,  draw  up  strap  2,  tightly  and 
steadily.  The  motion  will  draw  up  the  off  fore-leg  into 
the  same  position  as  the  near  one,  and  the  horse  will 
go  down  on  his  knees ;  there  hold  the  strap  so  firmly 
that  he  will  not  be  able  to  stretch  his  foot  out  again. 

As  soon  as  the  horse  recovers  from  his  astonish- 
ment at  b^ing  brought  to  his  knees,  he  begins  to  re- 
sist ;  that  is,  he  rears  up  on  his  hind-legs,  and  springs 
about  in  a  manner  that  is  apparently  alarming,  and 
which  often  requires  a  good  deal  of  activity  in  the 
trainer.  (Yide  plate  16.) 

You  must  remember  that  your  business  is  not  to  set 
your  strength  against  the  horse's  strength,  but  merely 
to  follow  him  about,  holding  the  strap  just  tight 
enough  to  prevent  him  from  putting  out  his  off  fore- 
leg.    As  long  as  you  keep  close  to  him  and  behind 


92  SYSTEM   FOE   TEAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

liis  shoulders,  you  are  in  little  danger.  The  bridle  must 
be  used  in  the  left  hand  to  guide  him,  pnlling  to  the 
right  or  left,  as  occasion  may  require ;  or  by  pulling 
straight  the  horse  may  be  fatigued,  by  being  forced 
to  walk  backward.  The  trainer  is  not  to  fatigue 
himself  more  than  he  can  help,  but  standing  upright, 
simply  follow  the  horse  about,  guiding  him  with  the 
bridle.  It  must  be  admitted  that  to  do  this  well  re- 
quires considerable  nerve,  coolness,  patience,  and  at 
times  agility  ;  but  the  danger  is  more  apparent  than 
real,  though  a  high-couraged  horse  will  make  a  stout 
fight.  AYhen  held  and  guided  properly,  the  horse 
seldom  resists  more  than  ten  minutes,  at  which  time, 
if  not  before,  exhausted  by  his  violent  struggles,  he 
sinks  forward  on  his  knees,  sweating  profusely,  and 
with  heaving  flanks  and  shaking  tail.  (Yide  plate  17.) 
JSTow  is  the  time  to  get  him  into  a  comfortable  po- 
sition for  lying  down  ;  if  he  is  still  stout,  he  may  be 
forced  by  the  bit  to  walk  backward.  By  pushing 
gently  at  his  shoulder,  or  by  pulling  steadily  the  off 
rein,  you  can  get  him  to  fall  on  the  side  you  may 
wish ;  but  this  assistance  should  be  so  slight  that  the 
horse  must  not  be  able  to  resist  it.  The  horse  will 
often  make  a  final  spring  when  you  think  he  is  quite 
beaten  ;  but,  at  any  rate,  at  length  he  slides  over,  and 
lies  down,  panting  and  exhausted,  on  his  side.  Take 
advantage  of  the  moment  to  tie  up  securely  the  off 
fore-leg  to  the  surcingle ;  for,  as  soon  as  he  recovers 
his  wind,  a  horse  will  generally  make  a  second  fight. 


Pin. 


93 

often  more  stubborn  and  fierce  than  the  first,  and 
your  object  is,  to  exhaust  without  hurting  him,  and 
to  force  u]_7on  him  the  conchision  that,  by  your  supe- 
rior strength  you  have  conquered,  and  can  always 
conquer  him. 

When  a  horse  lies  down  for  the  second  or  third 
time,  thoroughly  beaten,  the  time  has  arrived  for 
teaching  him  a  few  more  of  the  practical  parts  of' 
horse  training. 

If  he  has  been  afraid  of  a  saddle  or  harness,  now  is 
the  time  to  place  them  upon  his  back,  first  allowing 
him  to  smell  them ;  now  is  the  time  to  mount  him. 
If  he  has  heretofore  resisted  shoeing,  now  is  the  time 
to  handle  his  legs  and  tap  his  feet  gently  with  the 
hand  or  a  hammer.  If  he  has  been  fidgety  about  the 
ears,  now  is  the  time  to  handle  them,  &c.,  &c.,  ac- 
cording to  the  object  to  be  accomplished ;  always 
speaking  kindly  to  him  when  he  submits,  but  with  a 
voice  of  authority  if  he  resists. 

JS'ext,  take  all  the  straps  oflf  of  him,  and  go  through 
the  process  of  gentling  him  ;  walk  slowly  around  him 
from  head  to  tail  and  back  to  his  head ;  scrape  the 
sweat  ofi"  him  with  a  scraper ;  rub  him  down  with  a 
wisp  ;  smooth  the  hair  of  his  legs,  and  draw  the  fore 
ones  out  straight ;  handle  his  head,  legs  and  tail,  and 
gentle  every  part  of  him,  for,  being  exhausted  and 
powerless  he  cannot  get  away  from  you,  and  he  has 
time  to  find  out  that  you  mean  him  no  harm.  (Vide 
plate  18.) 


94  SYSTEM   FOE   TRAINING   CAVALEY   HOESES. 

If  a  horse  unstrapped,  attempts  to  rise,  you  may 
easily  stop  liim  by  taking  hold  of  a  fore-leg  and 
doubling  it  back  to  the  strapped  position.  If  by 
chance  he  should  be  too  quick,  don't  resist ;  it  is  an 
essential  principle,  never  to  enter  into  a  contest  with 
a  horse  unless  you  are  certain  to  be  victorious. 

In  all  these  operations,  you  must  be  cabn,  and  not 
in  a  hurry. 

Thus,  under  the  "  Karey  system,"  all  indications 
are  so  direct,  that  the  horse  must  understand  them. 
You  place  him  in  such  a  position,  and  under  such  re- 
straint, that  he  cannot  resist  any  thing  that  you 
choose  to  do  to  him  ;  and  then  you  proceed  to  caress 
him  when  he  assents,  to  reprove  him  wdien  he  thinks 
of  resisting  ;  resist  with  all  his  legs  tied,  he  cannot. 
Kepeated  lessons  end  by  persuading  the  most  vicious 
horse  that  it  is  useless  to  try  to  resist,  and  that  acqui- 
escence will  be  followed  by  the  caresses  that  horses 
evidently  like. 

The  average  horse  may  be  subdued  by  the  average 
horseman,  and  colts  usually  come  within  the  average ; 
but  a  fierce,  determined,  vicious  horse  requires  a  man 
above  the  average  in  temper,  courage,  and  activity. 
It  is  seldom  necessary  to  lay  a  colt  down  more  than 
twice  ;  but  it  must  not  be  supposed,  that  a  man  with- 
out experience  can,  with  these  straps,  manage  any 
horse. 


rtiH. 


95 


Hoio  to  Mahe  a  Horse  Lie  Down. 

Ey  this  process  of  throwing  a  horse,  you  can  in  a 
short  time  teach  a  horse  to  lie  down.  Throw  him, 
handle  him  all  over,  then  take  off  the  straps  and 
straighten  out  his  legs ;  rub  him  lightly  about  the 
face  and  neck  with  your  hand  the  way  the  hair  lies  ; 
handle  all  his  legs,  and  after  he  has  lain  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  let  him  up  again.  After  resting  him  a  short 
time,  make  him  lie  dowm  as  before.  Repeat  this  oper- 
ation three  or  four  times,  which  will  be  sufficient  for 
one  lesson.  Give  him  two  lessons  a  day,  and  when 
you  have  given  him  four  lessons,  he  will  lie  down  by 
taking  hold  of  one  foot.  As  soon  as  he  is  well  broken 
to  lie  down  in  this  way,  tap  him  on  the  opposite  leg 
with  a  stick  when  you  take  hold  of  his  foot,  and  in  a 
few  days  he  will  lie  down  from  the  mere  motion  of 
the  stick. 

To  Acoustom,  a  Horse  to  a  Drum. 

Place  it  near  him  on  the  ground,  and  without  forc- 
ing him,  induce  him  to  smell  it  again  and  again  until 
he  is  thoroughly  accustomed  to  it.  Then  lift  it  up, 
and  slowly  place  it  on  the  side  of  his  neck,  where  lie 
can  see  it,  and  tap  it  gently  with  a  stick  or  your 
finger.  If  he  starts,  pause  and  let  him  carefully  ex- 
amine it.  Then  recommence,  gradually  moving  it 
backward  until  it  rests  upon  his  withers,  by  degrees 
playing  louder  and  louder,  pausing  always  when  he 


96  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

seems  alarmed,  to  let  liim  look  at  it  and  smell  it  if 
needful.  In  a  very  feAV  minutes  jou  may  play  with 
all  your  force,  witliout  his  taking  any  notice.  When 
this  practice  has  been  repeated  a  few  times,  your  horse, 
however  spirited,  will  rest  his  nose  unmoved  on  the 
big  drum  while  the  most  thundering  piece  is  played. 
In  the  same  careful,  progressive  manner  a  horse 
may  be  accustomed  to  any  noise  or  sight. 


HOESE-SHOEIKG. 

What  is  here  said  of  "  horse-shoeinor "  is  taken  from 

o 

"A  Plain  Treatise   on  Horse-Shoeing,"  by  William 
Miles,  Esq. 

Before  entering  upon  the  subject  of  shoeing,  two 
things  must  be  noticed,  which  must  not  only  be  be- 
lieved, but  acted  upon,  if  we  ever  hope  to  arrive  at 
really  good  shoeing ;  the  first  is,  that  nature  has 
given,  to  what  horsemen  call  a  good-shaped  foot,  the 
form  best  suited  to  the  horse's  wants  ;  and  the  second 
is,  that  the  hoof  expands,  when  the  horse's  weight  is 
thrown  upon  it,  and  contracts  when  it  is  taken  off 
again  ;  but  the  mere  belief  in  these  things  will  be  of 
no  use  unless  we  make  the  shoe  to  fit  the  foot,  and 
nail  it  on  in  such  a  manner  as  will  allow  the  hoof  to 
expand  and  contract ;  for  we  might  as  well  not  be- 
iieve  at  all,  as  believe  a  thing  right,  and  not  do  it. 


HOKSE-SUOEING.  i  97 

^N'ailing  au  iron  shoe  to  a  living  horse's  foot  is  a 
very  unnatural  thing  to  do,  but,  as  it  must  be  done, 
it  is  our  duty  to  see  how  we  can  do  it  with  the  least 
injury  to  the  horse.  To  show  this,  it  will  be  supposed 
directions  are  being  addresed  to  a  young  smith,  who 
is  about  to  shoe  his  first  horse. 

Prejyaring  the  Foot. 

You  must  begin  by  taking  off  one  of  the  old  shoes, 
and  one  only,  because  the  others  should  always  be 
left  on  for  the  horse  to  rest  upon ;  all  horses  stand 
quieter  on  shod  feet  than  they  can  on  bare  ones;  and 
they  are  less  likely  to  break  the  crust :  many  tender- 
footed  horses  are  in  positive  agony,  when  forced  to 
rest  on  a  bare  foot  while  the  opposite  one  is  held  up 
to  be  shod. 

First  raise  all  the  clenches  with  the  buffer,  and,  if 
the  shoe  will  not  then  come  off  easily,  loosen  some  of 
the  nails  with  the  punch  ;  but  never  tear  the  shoe  off 
by  main  force  ;  it  splits  the  crust,  widens  the  nail- 
holes,  and  destroys  the  horm 

The  shoe  being  off,  you  should  rasp  the  edge  of  the 
hoof  all  round,  and  take  out  any  stubs  that  may  be 
left  in  the  crust.  Then  you  must  pare  out  the  foot ; 
and  this  requires  both  care  and  thought.  If  the  horse 
has  a  strong,  upright  foot,  with  plenty  of  horn,  you 
should  shorten  the  toe,  lower  the  heels  and  crust,  and 
cut  out  the  dead  horn  from  tii-e  sole,  and  also  from  the 
corners  between  the  heels  and  the  bars  ;  the  best  way 
5 


98  stStem  fok  training  cay  alky  horses. 

of  doing  tills  Is  to  pare  the  bars  down  nearly  eYen 
with  the  sole,  a«id  then  you  can  get  at  the  dead  horn 
in  the  corners  more  easily.  The  part  of  the  bar 
which  stands  above  the  sole  would  have  been  worn 
away  or  broken  down,  if  the  shoe  had  not  kept  the 
hoof  off  the  ground  ;  therefore  you  had  better  always 
pare  it  down  ;  but  on  no  account  ever  cut  any  thing 
away  from  the  sides  of  the  bars,  or,  what  is  called, 
"  open  out  the  heels ;"  and  be  sure  that  you  never 
touch  the  frog  with  a  knife.  ISTow  remember,  that 
there  are  three  things  which  you  must  never  do  in 
paring  out  a  foot ;  you  must  never  cut  the  sides  of 
the  bars,  or  open  out  the  heels,  or  pare  the  frog ;  and 
for  the  following  reasons : 

The  bars  are  placed  where  they  are,  to  keep  the 
heels  from  closing  in  upon  the  frog,  and  if  you  thin 
them  by  cutting  their  sides,  you  weaken  them,  and 
they  can  no  longer  do  it,  and  the  foot  begins  to  con- 
tract. 

Opening  out  the  heels  does  exactly  the  same  thing, 
by  weakening  the  very  parts  which  nature  placed 
there  to  keep  the  heels  apart ;  it  takes  some  time  to 
coi'-rract  a  horse's  foot  so  as  to  lame  him,  and  because 
the  contraction  comes  on  by  slow  degrees,  no  one  no- 
tices it  until  the  horse  falls  lame,  and  then  every  one 
wonders  what  can  have  done  it,  but  very  few  hit 
upon  the  right  cause. 

The  frog  is  a  thick,  springy  cushion,  whose  chief 
use  is  to  protect .  a  very  important  joint,  called  the 


HORSE-SHOEING.  99 

navicular  joint,  and  it  is  covered  by  a  thin  layer  of 
horn,  which  keeps  in  the  moisture ;  and  every  time 
you  slice  off  any  of  the  frog  you  lay  bare  a  part  that 
was  never  meant  to  be  exposed  to  the  air,  and  it  drys 
and  cracks,  and  forms  rags ;  and  if  these  rags  are  cut 
off  at  every  fresh  shoeing,  the  whole  frog  becomes 
as  hard  and  dry  as  a  board ;  and  the  horse  gets  an  in- 
curable disease,  called  "  navicular  disease ;"  therefore 
leave  the  frog  alone,  it  will  never  grow  too  large ;  for, 
long  before  that  would  happen  the  outer  covering  will 
shell  off,  and  a  new  horny  covering  will  be  found 
underneath;  and  as  to  the  rags,  leave  them  alone 
also,  and  they  will  fall  off  of  themselves. 

A  weak,  flat  foot  will  bear  very  little  paring,  or 
rasping  ;  the  crust  of  such  a  foot  is  sure  to  be  thin  at 
the  toe,  and  low  at  the  heels,  with  a  thin  and  weak 
sole  ;  therefore  the  less  you  do  to  it  the  better,  beyond 
getting  rid  of  the  little  dead  horn  there  may  be,  and 
making  the  crust  level,  where  it  is  to  bear  upon  the 
shoe  ;  this  must  be  done  to  all  feet,  and,  as  the  inner 
quarter,  where  there  should  be  no  nails,  does  not  wear 
away  as  fast  as  the  outer  quarter,  where  the  nails  are 
driven,  you  should  place  a  rasp  upon  its  edge  aci  ;ss 
the  foot,  to  be  quite  sure  that  the  two  sides  are  level. 

Before  you  pare  out  a  foot,  you  should  always 
think  of  the  state  of  the  roads,  and,  if  they  are  dry? 
and  covered  with  loose  stones,  or  have  been  lately  re- 
paired, you  should  take  very  little  off  the  sole  of  any 
foot,  because  if  you  thin  it,  the  stones  will  bruise  it, 


100  SYSTEM   FOR   TKAIXING    CAVALRY    HORSES. 

but,  wlien  tlie  season  is  wet,  and  the  stones  worn  in, 
you  may  pare  out  the  sole  of  a  strong  foot,  until  it 
will  yield  to  hard  pressure  from  your  thumbs ;  but 
you  must  never  pare  it  thin  enough  to  yield  to  light 
pressure. 

Plate  19  shows  a  good-shaped  near  fore-foot,  pared 
out  ready  for  shoeing.  The  toe  reaches  from  A  to  A, 
the  letter  B  shows  the  middle  of  each  quarter,  and  0 
marks  the  heels.  You  will  observe  that  the  crust  is 
thicker  on  the  outer  quarter,  where  the  nails  should 
be,  than  it  is  on  the  inner  quarter,  where  a  nail  must 
never  be  driven  ;  and  you  will  also  see  that  the  hoof 
is  not  a  circle,  as  some  suppose,  but  is  straighter  on 
the  inside  than  it  is  on  the  outside.  D  marks  the 
sole,  jE^  shows  the  upper  part  of  the  bars,  pared  down 
nearly  level  with  the  sole,  i^  shows  that  part  of  the 
bars  which  must  never  be  touched  by  a  knife,  G 
marks  the  frog,  and  is  placed  just  over  the  situation 
of  the  navicular  joint.  Examine  this  frog,  it  is  what 
every  horse's  frog  should  look  like,  plump,  and  full, 
and  even,  with  a  broad,  shallow  cleft,  not  split  through 
at  the  back  part ;  and,  if  you  shoe  your  horses  prop- 
erly, and  never  pare  the  frog,  it  is  what  their  frogs 
will  come  to  in  time. 

The  Shoe. 
Before  speaking  about  the  shoe,  the  names  for  the 
upper  and  under  surfaces  must  be  fixed ;   that  part 
of  the  shoe  that  rests  upon  the  ground,  will  be  do- 


/V./.9 


HORSE-SHOEING.  101 

nominated  tlie  "ground  surface;"  and.tlie  part  that 
goes  next  to  the  foot,  the  "  foot  surface." 

In  turnhig  your  store  shoes  "  in  the  rough,"  you 
should  leave  them  lon^-er  at  the  heels  than  smitlis 
generally  do ;  and  you  should  make  the  web  as  wide 
at  the  heels  as  it  is  at  the  toe,  and  of  the  same  thick- 
ness throughout  from  the  toe  back  to  the  heels.  The 
"  fuller"  should  be  carried  quite  round  the  shoe  to 
the  heels,  and  the  fuller-iron  should  have  both  sides 
alike. 

Choosing  a  Shoe. 

The  first  thing  to  look  to  in  choosing  a  shoe  is  the 
kind  of  foot  you  have  to  deal  with.  If  the  foot  be  a 
strong,  good-shaped  one,  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to 
find  a  shoe  for  it ;  only  take  care  that  the  web  is  not 
too  narrow.,  and  that  the  shoe  is  not  too  light.  A 
light  shoe  is  apjt  to  bend  before  it  is  half  worn  out ; 
and  the  pain  caused  by  the  pressure  of  the. bent  nails 
against  the  tender  lining  of  the  hoof,  throws  the  horse 
down,  and  most  likely  breaks  his  knees.  If  the  foot 
should  be  flat,  with  a  weak,  brittle  crust,  you  must 
still  choose  a  stout  shoe ;  for  a  horse  with  such  a  foot 
could  not  go  at  all  on  a  bent  shoe  ;  and  the  slioe  must 
have  a  wide  web,  because  the  sole  is  sure  to  be  thin, 
and  will  need  plenty  of  cover  to  protect  it. 

You  must  also  look  to  the  seating ;  for,  if  the  foot 
is  weak  and  flat,  the  shoe  must  be  well  seated  out  to 
prevent  its  pressing  upon  and  bruising  the  sole  ;    but 


102  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

if  the  foot  is  strong  and  the  sole  arched,  there  need 
not  be  more  seating  than  will  allow  the  point  of  a 
picker  to  pass  freely  round  between  the  sole  and  the 
shoe ;  otherwise  dirt  and  small  stones  will  get  in,  and 
bruise  the  sole  as  much  as  the  shoe  would  do  if  it 
pressed  upon  it. 

Cutting  off  the  Heels. 

Having  fixed  upon  a  shoe  to  your  mind,  begin  by 
cutting  off  the  heels ;  and  you  will  find  a  half-round 
chisel  a  better  tool  for  the  purpose  than  a  straight 
one,  because  you  should  never  cut  them  ofl'  square ; 
if  you  do,  you  will  find  it  impossible  to  fit  the  shoe 
properly  to  the  heels,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  the 
web  as  w^ide  at  the  heels  as  it  is  at  the  toe,  for  one  of 
the  corners  of  the  shoe  will  be  sticking  into  the  frog, 
while  the  other  stands  out  beyond  the  crust ;  but  if 
you  cut  them  off  as  shown  fig.  1,  plate  20,  you  will 
have  no  difficulty  in  bringing  every  part  of  the  shoe 
into  its  proper  place  on  the  foot.  Fig.  1  is  a  shoe 
turned  in  the  rough  ;  and  the  dotted  lines  show  the 
direction  in  which  the  heels  should  be  cut  off.  The 
side  next  the  frog  should  be  cut  off  from  C  to  B,  and 
the  outer  corner  from  A  to  B^  and  then  the  shoe  will 
look  like  fig.  2,  which  with  a  hammering  over  the 
beak  of  the  anvil  will  soon  come  like  fig.  3 ;  you  will 
see  that  the  points  marked  A  in  fig.  2  have  disap- 
peared in  fig.  3,  and  that  the  parts  between  A  and  B 


I'l  -W. 


HORSE-SHOEING.  103 

on  each  side,  have  become  a  portion  of  the  outer  rim 
of  the  shoe ;  whereby  the  outer  rim  is  lengthened, 
and  the  inner  rim  shortened ;  and  there  are  no  cor- 
ners left  to  prevent  your  fitting  the  shoe  to  the  exact 
sweep  of  the  crust  at  the  heels,  and  you  are  enabled 
to  keep  the  web  as  wide  at  the  heels  as  it  is  at  the 
toe.  Fig.  3  has  been  introduced  in  this  place,  be- 
cause it  affords  the  opportunity  of  explaining  the 
reason  for  cutting  off  the  heels  as  directed  ;  but  at 
this  stage  of  the  business  it  is  a  good  plan  always  to 
leave  the  quarters  and  heels  rather  straight,  and  wide 
apart,  until  you  liave  fitted  the  toe  ;  because  it  is  less 
trouble  to  bring  them  in,  than  it  is  to  open  tliem  out, 
after  the  front  has  been  fitted. 

TTie  Nail  Holes. 

You  must  next  open  the  nail-holes ;  but  be  sure 
that  they  have  been  stamped  so  as  to  pass  straight 
through  the  shoe,  and  come  out  in  the  flat  part  of 
the  web,  and  not  partly  in  the  flat  and  partly  in  the 
seating.  It  is  a  very  bad  plan  to  make  them  slant 
inward  as  most  smiths  do;  for  in  driving  a  nail 
they  have  first  to  pitch  the.  point  inward,  then  turn 
it  outward,  driving  it  all  the  time  with  the  grain  of 
the  crust,  and  at  last  they  bring  it  out  high  up  in  the 
thinnest  part  of  the  hoof,  and  have  the  weakest  part 
of  the  nail  for  a  clinch,  l^ow,  instead  of  all  this,  if 
you  make  tlie  holes  straight  through  the  shoe,  you 


104  SYSTEM    FOK    TEATKING    CAY  ALKY    HOUSES. 

have  only  to  drive  the  nail  straight  and  it  will  go 
through  the  shoe,  across  the  gi-ain  of  the  crust,  and 
come  out  low  do^vn  in  tlie  thickest  part  of  the  hoof, 
and  give  you  a  strong  clinch  made  out  of  the  shank 
of  the  nail,  instead  of  a  weak  one  made  out  of  the 
point.  The  advantage  of  straight-holing  is,  that  you 
are  sure  never  to  prick  the  foot  in  driving  a  nail,  and 
you  get  a  firmer  hold  for  the  shoe. 

The  soundness  of  a  horse's  foot,  so  far  as  shoeing 
is  concerned,  depends  more  upon  the  number  of  nails 
and  where  they  are  placed,  than  upon  any  thing  else ; 
for  if  the  shoe  is  ever  so  badly  formed,  and  the  nail- 
holes  rightly  placed,  very  little  harm  will  happen  to 
the  foot  beyond  the  loss  of  a  shoe ;  but  if  a  shoe  is 
of  the  best  possible  shape  and  fitted  to  the  foot  in  the 
most  perfect  manner,  unless  the  nail-holes  are  placed 
so  that  the  foot  can  expand,  it  must  in  the  end  be- 
come unsound. 

The  portions  of  the  hoof  that  exj^and  the  most,  are 
the  inner  quarter  and  heel ;  you  must  therefore  leave 
those  parts  free  from  nails ;  and  the  way  to  do  it  is, 
never  to  stamp  more  than  two  holes  on  the  inside  of 
the  shoe,  one  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  from  the 
centre  of  the  toe,  and  the  other  about  three-qnarters 
of  an  inch  behind  it.  It  is  quite  clear  that  if  you 
nail  both  sides  of  a  horse's  hoof  to  an  iron  shoe,  tlie 
hoof  will  be  held  fast  and  cannot  expand  ;  and  when 
the  horse's  weight  forces  the  bones  of  the  foot  into 
the  hoof,  the  tender  lining  of  the  hoof  will  be  squeezed 


IIORSE-SIiOEING. 


101 


against  tlie  shanks  of  the  nails,  and  cause  pain  to  the 
horse  at  every  step  he  takes.  The  whole  number  of 
the  nail-holes  should  never  exceed  five  ;  three  on  the 
outside,  and  two  on  the  inside. 

Having  cut  off  the  heels  and  opened  the  nail-holes, 
you  must  next  turn  up  a  clip  at  the  toe  ;  every  shoe 
should  have  one  at  the  toe,  it  keeps  the  shoe  steady, 
and  prevents  its  being  forced  back;  but  you  should 
never  put  one  at  the  side. 

Fitting  the  Shoe. 

You  must  bear  in  mind,  that  "fitting  the  shoe" 
means  fitting  the  shoe  to  the  foot,  and  not  fitting  the 
foot  to  the  shoe,  as  is  too  often  done  in  many  forges. 

It  is  a  bad  plan  to  try  to  fit  the  whole  of  the  shoe  at 
once  ;  it  is  much  better,  and  saves  a  great  deal  of  trou- 
ble, to  fit  the  toe  first,  then  the  quarters,  and  lastly  the 
heels  ;  but,  before  you  begin  to  fit  the  toe,  take  a  look 
at  the  old  shoe,  and  see  how  much  of  the  toe  of  it  is 
worn  away;  because  just  so  much  of  the  new  shoe 
should  be  turned  up  from  the  ground,  to  remove  it  out 
of  the  line  of  wear.  A  new  shoe,  turned  up  at  the  toe, 
is  the  same  thing  to  the  horse  as  an  old  one  worn  down, 
but  with  this  great  difference  to  his  comfort,  that  he 
is  easy  upon  the  new  one,  from  the  time  it  is  first  put 
on,  whereas  he  was  never  easy  upon  the  old  one,  until 
he  had  worn  away  the  toe.  A  strong  foot  will  bear 
the  toe  to  be  turned  up  a  good  deal ;  but  a  flat  foot  is 
always  weak  at  the  toe,  and  will  not  l)ear  much,  still 
6* 


106  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAYALRY   HORSES. 

the  shoe  should  be  turned  up  a  little,  so  as  to  clear 
the  ground  ;  the  horse  will  travel  safer  and  better  for 
it. 

It  will  now  be  supposed  that  jou  have  shortened 
the  toe  of  the  hoof,  rasped  away  the  crust,  to  receive 
the  turned-up  shoe,  cut  a  notch  for  the  clip,  and  turn 
ed  up  the  toe  of  the  shoe.  You  must  now  put  the  toe 
of  the  shoe  in  the  fire,  and  make  it  hot  enough  to 
mark  the  uneven  portions  of  horn,  which  should  be 
rasped  away,  until  an  even  bed  ialeft  for  the  shoe  to 
rest  upon. 

Wlien  the  toe  is  once  properly  fitted,  there  will  be 
very  little  trouble  in  fitting  the  quarters  and  heels  ; 
you  have  only  to  bring  them  in  over  the  beak  of  the 
anvil,  until  the  edge  of  the  shoe  ranges  with  the  edge 
of  the  hoof  back  to  the  furthest  point  of  the  heel  on 
each  side,  and  continue  the  same  sweep,  until  it  nearly 
touches  the  frog ;  there  must  be  none  of  the  shoe  left 
sticking  out  beyond  the  hoof,  either  behind  or  at  the 
sides  of  the  heels. 

The  part  of  the  foot  that  needs  protection  from 
injury  more  than  any  other,  is  the  "  navicular  joint," 
which  rests  upon  the  frog,  about  an  inch  or  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  behind  its  point,  and  the  only  way  to 
protect  it,  is  to  keep  the  web  of  the  shoe  as  wide  at 
the  heels  as  it  is  at  the  toe,  and  to  bring  in  the  heels 
until  they  nearly  touch  the  frog ;  by  so  doing  you 
lessen  the  opening  of  the  shoe,  and  the  web  of  <me 
side  or  the  other  will   strike  upon  the  stones  in  the 


HOESE-SHOEING.  107 

road,  and  save  the  frog  from  coming  witli  full  force 
upon  tliem.  But  open-heeled  shoes  leave  the  frog  en- 
tirely exposed  to  very  large  stones,  and  cause  many  a 
bruise  to  the  navicular  joint,  which  lays  the  founda- 
tion of  future  incurable  lameness. 

Another  advantage  of  bringing  in  the  heels,  and 
fitting  the  shoe  close,  is  the  certainty  that  the  horse 
will  not  cast  his  shoe ;  you  leave  nothing  for  stiff 
ground  to  lay  hold  of,  and,  if  you  slightly  bevel  the 
inside  C[uarter  afid  heel  of  the  shoe,  from  the  foot 
downward,  as  is  sometimes  done  to  prevent  a  horse 
cutting,  no  ground  in  the  world  can  pull  it  off ;  for 
the  foot,  expanding  to  the  weight  of  the  horse,  en- 
larges the  hole  made  by  the  shoe,  and  leaves  more 
space  for  the  shoe  to  come  out  of,  than  it  made  for  it- 
self to  go  in  at,  but  if  the  shoe  projects  beyond  the 
hoof  at  any  part,  and  more  particularly  at  the  heels, 
the  foot  cannot  fill  the  hole  made  by  the  shoe,  and 
stiff  clay  will  cling  round  the  projection,  and  pull  the 
shoe  off. 

Having  so  far  finished  the  shoe,  place  it  on  the 
face  of  the  anvil,  with  the  toe  hanging  over  the  side, 
and  see  that  the  foot  surface  of  the  quarters  and  heels 
are  quite  level  j  then  make  it  hot  enough  to  scorch 
the  hoof  all  round,  and  form  a  bed  for  itself.  With- 
out this  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  insure 
close  fitting ;  for  after  you  have  made  the  foot  as 
level  as  you  can  wuth  the  rasp,  and  the  shoe  as  level 
as  you  can  on  the  anvil,  the  chances  are  very  much 


108  SYSTEM   FOR   TRAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

against  their  fitting  like  two  planed  boards,  as  they 
ought  to  do ;  and  the  quantity  of  horn  to  be  thus 
removed  is  so  small  as  not  to  be  worth  thinking 
about.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  a  hot  shoe 
injures  the  hoof;  it  does  nothing  of  the  kind,  and 
you  cannot  possibly  fit  a  shoe  properly  -without  mak- 
ing it  hot.  You  should  not  burn  a  shoe  into  its 
place  on  the  foot,  before  you  had  taken  care  to  make 
both  the  foot  and  the  shoe  as  level  as  you  could,  but 
when  you  have  done  that,  the  small  quantity  of 
burning  that  is  necessary  to  make  them  come  close 
together  can  do  no  harm.  A  weak,  thin  crust  will 
not  bear  as  much  heat  as  a  strong  one ;  nevertheless 
it  must  be  scorched,  that  you  may  be  sure  the  shoe 
fits  properly. 

When  you  have  cooled  the  shoe,  you  should  "  back- 
hole"  it,  that  is,  make  a  free  opening  on  the  foot  sur- 
face for  the  nails  to  pass  through ;  and  mind  that,  in 
doing  so,  you  do  not  make  the  holes  incline'  inw^ard, 
but  take  great  care  to  make  them  pass  straiglit 
through  the  shoe. 

Before  you  "  file  up"  the  shoe,  hold  it  firmly  in  its 
place  on  the  foot  with  both  hands,  and  examine  care- 
fully whether  any  light  appears  between  the  foot  and 
the  shoe ;  and  if  you  should  perceive  any,  alter  the 
shoe  at  once,  for  the  crust  must  bear  upon  the  shoe 
all  round,  before  you-  can  say  that  the  shoe  fits  the 
foot,  as  it  ought  to  do. 


in.2i. 


HOESE-SHOEING.  109 

Filing  up  the  Shoe. 

Much  time  is  often  wasted  in  polishing  the  shoe 
with  the  file,  before  it  is  nailed  on;  but  all  that  is 
really  needed  is,  to  remove  the  burrs  about  the  nail- 
hules,  file  off  the  sharp  edges  of  the  shoe,  and  round 
the  heels,  taking  care  to  applj  the  file  hard  to  that 
part  of  both  lieels  which  comes  next  to  the  frog,  so 
as  to  slant  it  from  the  ground  upward  from  the  frog; 
but  jou  must  be  careful  not  to  make  the  ground- 
surface  of  the  web  at  the  heels  narrower  in  so  doiui^^. 
fig.  1  shows  the  foot  surface,  and  fig.  2,  plate  21,  the 
ground  surface  of  a  near  fore-shoe. 

In  fig.  1  ^  is  the  clip  at  the  toe.  B 1  the  outer 
quarter.  B  2  the  inner  quarter.  C 1  the  outer  heel. 
C  2  the  inner  heel.  D  the  seating.  E  the  flat  sur- 
face for  the  crust  to  bear  uj)on.  F  the  heels  bevelled 
off  away  from  the  frog. 

In  fig.  2  ^  is  the  toe,  turned  up  out  of  the  line 
of  wear.  B  1  the  outer,  and  B  2  tlie  inner  quarter. 
(71  tlie  outer,  and  6^2  the  inner  heel.  D  the  ground 
surface  of  the  web,  as  wide  at  the  heels  as  it  is  at 
the  toe.  E  the  fuller,  carried  all  round  the  shoe.  F 
the  inner  quarter,  and  heel  slightly  bevelled  from 
the  foot  to  the  ground. 

l^ails. 
A  few  words  must  be  said  about  the  nails,  before 
we  come  to  nailing  on  the  shoe,  because  the  nails  in 


110  SYSTEM   FOE   TEAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

common  nse  are  as  badly  formed  as  tliej  can  well 
be ;  their  short,  wedge-shaped  heads,  wide  at  the  top 
and  narrow  at  the  bottom,  wdth  shanks  springing 
suddenly  from  the  head  without  any  shoulder,  and 
ending  in  a  long,  narrow  point,  are  most  unsafe  to 
trust  a  shoe  to.  The  head  of  such  a  nail  can  never 
perfectly  fill  a  hole  in  the  shoe,  for  the  wide  top  gets 
tied  either  in  the  fuller,  or  the  upper  part  of  the 
hole,  before  the  lower  part  has  reached  the  bottom ; 
and  when  the  shoe  is  half  worn  out,  the  head  of  the 
nail  is  gone,  and  the  shank  alone  is  left  in  the  hole  to 
keep  the  shoe  on.  ]^ow  the  nails  should  have  heads 
which  are  straight-sided  at  the  upper  part,  and  grad- 
ually die  away  into  the  shank  at  the  lower  part,  so 
as  to  form  a  shoulder  which  will  block  the  ojDening 
made  in  "back-holing"  the  shoe,  and  keep  the  shoe 
firmly  in  its  place,  until  it  is  quite  worn  out. 

If  you  compare  the  two  nails  (vide  plate  22),  you 
will  at  once  see  which  promises  the  firmer  hold. 

Your  nails  should  be  made  of  the  very  best  nail- 
rods  you  can  get,  and  they  should  not  be  cooled  too 
quickly,  but  be  left  spread  about  to  cool  by  degrees  ; 
the  longer,  in  reason,  they  are  cooling  the  tougher 
they  will  become. 

Nailing  on  the  Shoe, 

If  the  nails  are  of  the  proper  shape,  the  holes 
straight  through  the  shoe,  and  the  shoe  fits  the  foot, 
it  requires  very  little  skill  to  nail  it  on  ;  only  put  the 


ri.  22 


HOESE-SHOEINQ.  Ill 

point  of  tlie  nail  in  the  middle  of  the  hole,  keep  the 
nail  upright,  and  drive  it  straight,  it  must  come  out 
in  the  riglit  place,  low  down  in  the  crust,  without 
the  possibility  of  w^ounding  the  sensitive  parts  of  the 
foot.  The  shank  of  the  nail  will  pass  through  the 
substance  of  the  crust,  and  gain  a  good,  firm  hold  of 
it,  leaving  you  the  strongest  part  from  which  to  form 
a  clench.  The  clenches  should  be  short  and  broad, 
and  not  thinned  by  rasping  away  any  of  their  sub- 
stance, but  hammered  at  once  into  a  notch  made  in 
the  hoof  under  each,  and  the  rasp  should  never  be 
allowed  to  go  over  them,  after  they  have  been  ham- 
mered down.  You  will  do  good  by  rasping  below 
the  clenches,  because  you  will  thereby  remove  the 
broken  horn  that  the  former  nails  have  destroyed; 
but  on  no  account  ever  use  the  rasp  above  the 
clenches ;  if  you  do,  you  will  tear  off  the  thin  outer 
covering  of  the  hoof,  which  is  placed  there  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  the  natural  moisture  and  to  keep  the 
horn  tough,  and  if  you  rasp  it  away  you  will  expose 
the  horn  to  the  air,  and  it  will  soon  become  dry  and 
brittle,  and  make  the  hoof  difficult  to  nail  to. 

Plate  22  shows  the  ground  surface  of  a  near  fore- 
foot, with  the  shoe  nailed  on  by  five  nails,  and  how 
the  shoe  should  look  in  its  place  on  the  foot. 

The  Hind-Shoe. 

The  hind  shoe,  like  the  fore-shoe,  should  be  brought 
in  at  the  heels,  and  be  made  to  follow  the  exact  shape 


112  SYSTEM    FOK    TRAINING    CAVALRY    HORSES. 

of , the  hoof;  hut  as  the  weight  of  the  horse  falh 
differently  on  the  hind-feet  to  what  it  does  on  the 
fore-feet,  and  as  the  rider  often  obliges  the  horse  tc 
stop  suddenly  and  without  warning,  when  he  is  leasl 
prepared  to  do  so,  it  becomes  necessary  to  guarc 
against  strains  of  the  hock  and  back  sinews  by  raising 
the  heels  of  the  shoe,  but  this  should  be  done  in  sucl 
a  manner  as  will  give  both  heels  an  even  bearing  or 
the  ground.  Calkins  may  be  useful  to  heavy  draught 
horses,  but  they  are  objectionable  for  riding  horses 
and  turning  down  the  outside  heel  alone  should  nevei 
be  done. 

The  best  plan  is  to  have  the  last  inch  and  a  hal 
toward  the  heel  forged  thicker  than  any  other  par 
of  the  shoe ;  the  heels  are  then  made  redhot,  anc 
the  shoe  is  put  in  the  vice  with  the  redhot  heels  pro 
jecting,  which  are  beaten  down  with  a  hammer,  unti 
they  are  about  an  inch  long,  and  then  the  sides  ar( 
made  even,  and  the  foot  and  ground  surfaces  level  or 
the  anvil. 

The  toe  of  the  hind-shoe  is  exposed  to  great  Avear 
and  should  be  made  stout,  and  thick,  and  rather  point- 
ed, with  a  small  clip  in  the  middle  to  prevent  the  shot 
from  being  driven  backward  ;  and  the  back  edge  of  tht 
web  should  be  rounded  off,  to  guard  against  "  over- 
reach." The  toe  should  rest  fairly  on  the  ground,  tc 
enable  the  horse  to  get  a  good  purchase  for  throw- 
ing his  weight  forward.  It  is  a  bad  plan  to  make  the 
toe  broad,  and  to  place  clips  at  the  side  of  it. 


/V .  23 


HORSK-SHOEING.  113 

The  liind-foot  expands  less  tliau  the  fore-foot ;  still 
jou  should  place  the  nail-holes  so  as  not  to  confine 
the  foot.  Three  nails  on  each  side  are  generally 
found  sufficient  to  hold  a  hind-shoe  firmly  to  the  foot. 
The  holes  on  the  inside  should  be  stamped  closer 
together  than  those  on  the  outside,  and  they  should 
be  placed  forward  toward  the  toe,  so  as  to  leave  the 
inside  quarter  and  heel  free  to  expand.  A  small  foot 
may  be  shod  with  three  nails  on  the  ontside  and  two 
on  the  inside ;  but  no  foot  can  ever  require  more  than 
seven  altogether. 

Figs.  1  and  2,  plate  23,  show  a  near  hind-shoe, 
when  the  foot  is  so  large  as  to  require  seven  nail- 
holes. 

Removing.  • 

The  time  at  which  a  horse's  shoes  should  be  re- 
moved must  depend  very  much  upon  circumstances. 
If  a  horse  wears  his  shoes  out  in  less  than  a  month, 
they  had  better  not  be  removed ;  and  horses  with 
thin,  weak  horn,  which  grows  slowly,  are  likewise 
better  left  alone  between  each  shoeing,  unless  their 
shoes  last  six  or  seven  weeks,  in  which  case  they  should 
be  removed  once  within  the  time :  but  horses  with 
strong  feet  and  plenty  of  horn,  that  wear  their  shoes 
a  full  month,  should  have  them  removed  at  the  end 
of  the  first  fortnight ;  and  when  horses  are  doing  so 
little  work,  or  wear  their  shoes  so  lightly  that  they 
last  two  months,  they  should  be  removed  every  fort- 


114  SYSTEM   FOR   TKAINING   CAVALRY   HORSES. 

night,  and  at  the  second  removal  the  shoes  should  be 
put  in  the  fire  and  refitted,  or  the  feet  will  outgrow 
the  shoes,  as  the  horn  grows  much  quicker  when  a 
liorse  is  idle  than  it  does  when  he  is  in  full  work. 

Having  gone  carefully  through  all  the  circum- 
stances necessary  to  good  shoeing,  a  recapitulation  of 
the  few  things  which  are  to  be  done  will  be  made  in 
tlie  proper  order : 

Raise  the  clenches  with  the  bufier. 

Have  only  one  foot  bare  at  a  time. 

Pare  out  the  foot,  but  leave  the  frog  alone. 

Cut  ofl"  the  heels  of  the  shoe,  as  directed. 

Open  the  nail-holes  straight  through  the  slice. 

Form  a  clip  at  the  toe,  and  turn  up  the  toe  of  the 
shoe. 

Heat  the  shoe  and  apply  it  to  the  foot,  to  see  that 
it  fits  properly. 

Cool  the  shoe,  ".back-hole"  it,  and  file  it  up. 

Nail  it  on  with  five  nails,  coming  out  low  in  the 
crust. 

Hammer  down  the  clenches  without  rasping  them, 
and  only  rasp  the  hoof  below  them. 


THE     END. 


lIMTill  AM  iil&l 


PUBLICATIONS, 


FROM  THE  PRESS  OF 


D.  VAN  NOSTRAWD, 


192    BROADWAY, 


(CP   STAIRS,) 


ISTEW    YORK 


A  large  StocTc  of  Englisli.,  French^  and  American  Military   WorTcs^ 
constantly  on  linnd. 


Copies  of  any  of  these  Books  sent  free  by  mail  on  receipt 
of  the  Catalogue  price. 


D,  Van  N'ostrand''s  Fuhlicatio7i9. 


Scott's  Military  Dictionary. 

Comprising  Teclinit'iil  Defiuitious ;  Informalioa  on  Raising  and 
Keeping  Troops ;  Actual  Service,  including  makeshifts  and 
improved  materiel,  and  Law,  Government,  Regulation,  and 
Administration  relating  to  Land  Forces.  Ey  Colonel  IL  L. 
Scott,  Inspector-General  U.  S.  A.  1  vol.,  large  octJivo,  fully 
illustrated,  half  morocco.     $5. 

*•  It  is  a  complete  Encyclopedia  of  Military  Sc'nince.:'~FhiladeIphia  Even- 
ing Bulletin. 

"We  cannot  speak  too  much  in  legitimate  praise  of  thi3  work." — I^ationai 
Intelligencer. 

"It  should  be  made  a  Text-book  for  the  study  of  erery  Volunteer."— Z7ar- 
p?r"8  Magazine. 

"  We  cordially  commend  it  to  public  favor," — Washington  Globe, 

"Tliis  comprehensive  and  skilfully  prepared  work  supplies  a  want  th.at  has 
long  been  felt,  and  v.ill  be  peculiarly  valuable  at  this  time  as  a  book  of  refer- 
ence.'''— Boston  Commercial  JJulleti/i. 

"The  Military  Dictionary  13  splendidly  pot  up  in  every  way,  and  reflects 
credit  on  the  publisher.  The  oflicers  of  e'very  company  ia  the  service  should 
possess  it"— 2^.  Y.  Tablet. 

"The  work  is  more  properly  a  Military  Encyclop.Tdia,  and  is  profusely  illus- 
trated with  enscravings.  It  appears  to  contain  every  thing  that  can  be  vranted 
in  the  shape  of  information  ijy  officers  of  all  grades," — Philadelphia  Xorih 
A/nerican. 

"This  book  is  really  an  Eneyclopredia,  both  dementary  and  technical,  and 
as  such  occupies  a  gap  in  military  literature  which  has  long  been  mosrt  incon- 
veniently vacant.  This  book  meets  a  present  popular  want,  and  will  be  secured 
not  only  by  those  embarking  in  the  pi'ofejsion  but  by  a  great  number  of  civilians, 
who  are  determined  to  follow  the  descriptions  and  to  understand  the  philo-o- 
phy  of  the  various  movements  of  the  campaign.  Indeed,  no  tolerably  good 
library  would  be  complete  v/ithout  the  work." — Neio  York  Times. 

"The  work  has  evidently  been  compiled  from  a  careful  consultation  of  the 
best  aiithoritie.?,  enriched  with  the  results  of  the  experience  and  personal 
knowledge  of  the  author."— if.  Y.  Daily  Tribune. 

"  Works  like  th<?  present  are  invaluable.  The  officers  of  our  Volunteer  ser- 
vice would  all  do  well  to  possess  themselves  of  the  volume." — 3".  Y.  Herald.. 


New  Bayonet  Exercise. 

A  New  Manual  of  the  Bayonet,  for  the  Army  and  Militia  of  the  United 
States.  By  Colonel  J.  C.  Kkltox,  U.  S.  A.  With  thirty 
beautifully-engraved  plate.s.     Red  cloth.    $1.75. 

This  Manual  vrn."?  prepared  for  the  rse  of  the  Corps  of  Cadets,  nnd  has  been 
introduced  at  the  Military  Academy  with  sstisfactory  results.  It  is  simply  th* 
theory  cf  the  attack  and  defence  of  the  sword  applied  to  the  bayonet,  oh  the 
authority  of  men  skilled  in  the  use  of  arms. 

The  Manual  conlnins  practical  lessons  in  "Fencing,  and  prescribes  the  de- 
fence against  Cavalry  ti:  1  Iho  manner  of  conducting  a  contest  with  a  Swords- 
man. 

"This  work  merits  a  favorable  reception  at  the  hands  of  all  military  men. 
It  contains  all  the  instruction  neces.'-avy  to  enable  an  officer  to  drill  hU  men  in 
the  use  of  this  weapon.  The  introduction  of  the  Sabre  Bayonet  in  <»ur  Army 
r.  nders  a  kaowl«di,'e  of  the  e.vercise  more  imporativo." — A'«k)  York  Time*. 


D.  Yan  Nostrand'' s  Puhlications.  3 

Rifles  and  Rifle  Practice. 

An  Elementary  Treatise  on  the  Theory  of  Eifle  Firing ;  explain- 
ing the  causes  of  Inaccuracy  of  Fire  and  the  manner  of  cor- 
recting it ;  with  descriptions  of  the  Infantry  Rifles  of  Europe 
and  the  United  States,  their  Balls  and  Cartridges,  By  Capt. 
C.  M.  Wilcox,  U.  S.  A.  New  edition,  with  engravings  and 
cuts.     Green  cloth.     $1.75. 

"Although  eminently  a  scientific  work,  special  care  seems  to  have  been 
taken  to  avoid  the  use  of  technical  terms,  and  to  make  the  -n-hole  subject  readily 
comprehensible  to  the  practical  enquirer.  It  was  designed  chietiy  for  the 
use  of  Volunteers  and  Militia;  but  the  "War  Department  has  evinced  its  ap- 
proval of  its  merits  by  ordering  from  the  publisher  one  thousand  copies,  for  tha 
use  of  the  United  States  Army." — Louisville  Journal. 

"The  book  will  be  found  intensely  interesting  to  all  who  are  watching  tha 
changes  in  the  art  of  war  arising  from  the  introduction  of  the  new  rifled  arms. 
We  recommend  to  our  readers  to  buy  the  book."— J/7/iYary  Gazette. 

"  A  most  valuable  treatise."' — New  York  Herald. 

"This  book  is  quite  original  in  its  character.  That  character  is  complete- 
ness. It  renders  a  study  of  most  of  the  works  on  the  rifle  that  have  been 
published  quite  unnecessary.  We  cordially  rwcommend  the  book."'— rniYed 
/Service  Gazette-,  London. 

"The  work  being  in  ail  its  parts  derived  from  the  best  sources,  is  of  tlia 
highest  authority,  and  will  be  accepted  as  the  standard  cu  the  subject  of  which 
it  treats."— A'e«o  Yarker. 


Army  Oflicer's  Pocket  Companion. 

Principally  designed  for  Staff  Officers  in  the  Field.  Partly  trans- 
lated from  the  French  of  M.  ds  Routre,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
of  the  French  Staff  Corps,  with  Additions  from  Standard  Amer- 
ican, French,  and  English  Authorities.  By  "\Ym.  P.  Craighill, 
First  Lieutenant  U.  S.  Corps  of  Engineers,  Assist.  Prof,  of 
Engineering  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  West  Point. 
1  vol.  18mo.     Full  roan.     $1.50. 

"  I  have  carefully  examined  Capt.  Craighill'b  Pocket  Comp.inion.  I  fnd 
it  one  of  the  very  best  works  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  seen.  Any  Army  or 
Volunteer  officer  who  will  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  this 
little  book,  will  seldom  be  ignorant  of  his  duties  in  camp  or  field." 

H.  W.  HALLECK, 
Major-General  U.  S.  A. 
"  I  have  carefully  examined  the  '  Manual  for  Staff  Officers  in  the  Field.'    It 
is  a  most  invaluable  work,  admirable  in  arrangement,  perspicuously  written, 
aboundmg  in  most  useful  matters,  and  such  a  book  as  should  be  the  constant 
pocket  companion  of  every  army  officer,  Regular  and  Volunteer." 

G    W.  CULLUM, 
Brigadier-General  U.  S.  A. 
Chief  of  General  Halleck's  Staff, 
Chief  Engineer  Department  Mississippi. 
"This  little  volume  contains  a  large  amount  of  indispensable  information 
relating  to  officers'  duties  in  the  siege,  camp,  and  field,  and  will  prove  to  them 
a  most  valuable  pocket  companion.     It  is  illustrated  with  plans  and  drawings." 
— Boston  Com.  BnUetin.. 


v.  Van  JSTostraiicPs  Publications. 


Hand-Book  of  Artillery, 

For  the  Service  of  the  United  States  Army  and  Militia.     New  and 

revised  edition.     By  Mnj.  Joseph  Roberts,  U.  S.  A.     1  vol. 

18mo,  cloth  flexible.     TS  cents. 

"  A  complete  catechism  of  gun  practice,  covering  the  -whole  ground  of  this 
branch  of  military  science,  and  adapted  to  militia  and  volunteer  drill,  as  well  as 
to  the  regular  army.  It  has  the  merit  of  precise  detail,  even  to  the  technical 
names  of  all  parts  of  a  gun,  and  how  the  smallest  operations  connected  with  its 
"tise  can  be  best  performed.  It  has  evidently  been  prepared  with  great  care, 
and  with  strict  scientific  accuracy.  By  the  recommendation  of  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Artillery  School  at  Fort  Monroe, 
\  a.,  it  has  been  substitutt'd  for  'Burns'  Questions  and  Answers,' an  English 
work  which  has  heretofore  been  the  text-book  of  instruction  in  this  country." 
— N&w  York  Century. 


New  Infantry  Tactics, 

For  the  Instruction,  Exercise,  and  Manoeuvres  of  the  Soldier,  a  Com- 
pany, Line  of  Skirmishers,  Battalion,  Brigade,  or  Corps  d'Armee. 
By  Brig. -Gen.  Silas  Casey,  U.  S.  A.     3  vols.  24mo.     Half  roan, 
lithographed  plates.     $2.50. 
Vol.  I. — School  of  the  Soldier ;    School  of  the  Company  ;    In- 
struction for  Skirmishers. 
Vol.  II. — School  of  the  Battalion. 

Vol.  III. — Evolutions  of   a  Brigade ;    Evolutions   of   a    Corps 
d'Armee. 

The  manuscript  of  this  new  system  of  Inf;intry  Tactics  was  carefully  ex- 
amined by  General  McClet.lan,  and  met  with  hisunqualified  approval,  which 
ho  has  since  manifested  by  authorizing  General  Casey  to  adopt  it  for  his  entire 
division.  The  author  has  retained  much  that  is  valu.ible  contained  in  the  sys- 
tems of  Scott  and  Hardee,  but  has  made  many  important  changes  and  addi- 
tions which  experience  and  the  exigencies  of  the  service  require.  General 
Casey's  reputation  as  an  accomplished  soldier  and  skilful  tactician  is  a  guar- 
antee that  the  work  he  has  undertaken  has  been  thoroughly  p«rformed. 

"  These  volumes  are  based  on  the  French  o'donna'nces  of  1831  and  1845  for 
the  manosuvres  of  heavy  infantry  and  chasfteurs  d  pied  ;  both  of  these  systems 
have  been  in  use  in  our  service  for  some  years,  the  former  having  been  trans- 
lated by  Gen.  Scott,  and  the  latter  by  Col.  Hardee.  After  the  introduction  of 
the  latter  drill  in  our  service.  In  connection  with  Gen.  Scott's  Tactics,  there 
arose  the  necessity  of  a  uniform  system  for  the  manoeuvres  of  all  the  infontry 
arm  of  the  service.  These  volumes  arc  the  result  of  the  author's  endeavor  to 
communicate  the  instruction,  now  used  and  adopted  in  the  army,  to  achieve 
this  result."— ^o.sfon  Journal. 

"  Based  on  the  best  precedents,  adapted  to  the  novel  requirements  of  the  art 
of  war,  and  very  full  in  its  instructions,  Casey's  Tactics  will  be  received  as  the 
most  useful  and  most  comprehensive  work  of  its  kind  in  our  language.  From 
the  drill  and  discipline  of  the  individual  soldier,  or  through  all  the  various 
combinations,  to  the  manoeuvres  of  a  brigade  and  the  evolutions  of  a  Corps 
D'Armee,  the  student  is  advanced  bv  a  clear  method  and  steady  progress.  Nu- 
merous cuts,  plans,  and  diagrams  illustrate  positions  and  movements,  and  do- 
n)onstrate  to  the  eye  the  exact  working  out  of  the  individual  position,  brigading, 
order  of  battle,  Ac,  &c.  The  work  is  a,  model  of  publishing  success,  being  in 
three  noat  pocket  volumes." — Neic  Yorket: 


D.  Van  Nostrand''8  Puhlicaiions.  5 

Sword-Play. 

THE  MILITIAMAN'S  MANUAL  AND  SWORD-FLAY  WITHOUT 
A  MASTER. — Rapier  and  Broad-Sword  Exercises  copiously 
Explained  and  Illustrated ;  Small-Arm  Light  Infantry  Drill  of 
the  United  States  Army ;  Infantry  Manual  of  Percussion  Mus- 
kets ;  Company  Drill  of  the  United  States  Cavalry.  By  Major 
M.  W.  Beuriman,  engaged  for  the  last  thirty  years  in  the  prac- 
tical instruction  of  Military  Students.  Second  edition.  1  vol. 
12mo,  red  cloth.    %\. 

" Captain  Berriman  has  hal  thirty  years'  experienco  in  teaching  military 
fitudent?,  and  his  work  is  written  in  a  simple,  clear,  and  soldierly  style.  It  is 
illustrated  with  tv/eive  plates,  and  is  one  of  the  cheapest  and  most  complete 
•works  of  the  kind  published  in  this  country."— A'eio  York  World. 

"This  work  will  be  found  very  valuable  to  all  persons  seekingr  military  in- 
struction; but  it  recommends  itself  most  especially  to  officers,  and  those  who 
have  to  use  the  sword  or  sabre.  We  believe  it  is  the  only  work  on  tho  tiae  of 
the  sword  published  in  this  country." — N'ew  YorJc  Tablet. 

"  It  is  a  work  of  obvions  merit  and  vvkln^."'— Boston  Traveller. 


Military  Law  and   Courts  Martial, 

By  Capt.  S.  V.  Benet,  U.  S.  Ordnance,  Asst.  Prof,  of  Ethics  in  the 
United  States  Military  Academy.  1  vol.  8vo.  Law  sheep.  In 
Press. 

The  Artillerift's  Manual  : 

Compiled  from  various  Sources,  and  adapted  to  the  Service  oi  tho 
United  States.  Profusely  illustrated  with  woodcuts  and  engrav- 
ings oa  stone.  Second  edition,  revised  and  corrected,  with 
valuable  additions,  tu  press.  By  Capt.  John  Gibbo.v,  U.  S. 
Army.     1  vol.  8vo,  half  roan,  $.5  ;  half  russia,  ?G. 

This  book  is  now  considered  the  standard  authority  for  that  particular  branch 
of  the  Service  in  the  United  States  Army.  The  War  Department,  at  V>'ashing. 
ton,  has  exhibited  its  thorousrh  appreciation  of  the  merits  of  this  volume,  the 
want  of  which  has  been  hitherto  much  felt  in  the  service,  by  subscribing  for  700 
copies. 

"It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  welcome  the  appearance  of  a  new  work  on 
this  subject,  entitled  'The  Artillerisfs  xManual,'  by  Capt.  John  Gibbon,  a 
highly  scientific  and  meritorious  officer  of  artillery  in  our  regular  service.  Tho 
work,  an  octavo  volume  of  500  pages,  in  larire,  clear  tvpe,  appears  to  be  well 
adapted  to  supply  just  what  has  been  heretofore  needed  to  fill  the  gap  between 
the  simple  Manual  and  the  more  abstruse  demonstrations  of  the  science  of  gun- 
nery. The  whole  work  is  profusely  illustrated  with  woodcuts  and  en<rraTing5 
on  stone,  tending  to  give  a  more  complete  and  exact  idea  of  the  various'matters 
described  in  the  text.  The  book  may  well  bo  considered  as  a  valuable  and  im- 
portant addition  to  the  military  science  of  tho  countrv."— 3^^?i'  York  Herald. 


6  D.  Yan  Nostrand^s  Publications. 

Evolutions  of  Field   Batteries  of 
Artillery. 

Translated  from  the  French,  and  arranged  for  the  Army  and  MiUtia 
of  the  United  States.  By  Gen.  Robert  Anderson,  U.  S.  Army. 
Pubhshed  by  order  of  the  War  Department.     1  vol.  cloth,  32 

plates.     $1. 

T7ak  Department,  Kov.  2d,  1S59. 
The  System  of  "Evolutions  of  Field  Batteries,"  translated  from  the  French, 
and  arranged  for  the  service  of  the  United  States,  by  Major  Eobert  Anderson, 
of  the  1st  Eegiment  of  Artillery,  having  been  approved  by  the  President,  is 
published  for  the  information  and  government  of  the  army. 

All  Evolutions  of  Field  Batteries  not  embraced  in  this  system  are  prohibited, 
and  those  herein  prescribed  will  be  strictlv  observed. 

"J.  B.  FLOYD,  Secretary  of  War. 
"This  system  having  been  adopted  by  the  War  Department,  is  to  the  artil- 
lerist what  Hardee's  Tactics  is  to  the  Infantry  soldier;  the  want  of  »  work  liko 
this  has  been  seriously  felt,  and  will  be  eagerly  welcomed."— ZowisriZ/e  Journal. 


Standing    Orders    of    the    Seventh 
Regiment,   National  Guard, 

For  the  Regulation  and  Government  of  the  Regiment  in  the  Field 

or  in  Quarters.     By  A.  Duryee,  Colonel.     New  edition,  flexible 

cloth.     40  cents. 

"  This,  which  is  a  new  edition  of  a  popular  work,  cannot  fail  to  be  eagerly 
sought  after,  as  presenting  clearly  and  succinctly  the  principles  of  organization 
and  discipline  of  a  most  favorite  corps.  An  appropriate  index  facilitotes  refer- 
ence to  the  matter  of  the  volume." — New  Yorker. 


Ordnance  and  Gunnery. 

A  Course  of  Instruction  in  Ordnance  and  Gunnery.  Compiled  for 
the  Use  of  the  Cadets  of  the  United  States  Military  Academy. 
By  Captain  J.  G.  Benton,  Ordnance  Department  U.  S.  A.,  late 
Instructor  of  Ordnance  and  the  Science  of  Gunnery,  U.  S,  Mili- 
tary Academy,  West  Point,  and  First  Assistant  to  the  Chief 
of  Ordnance,  U,  S.  A.  Second  edition,  revised  and  enlarged. 
1  vol.  8vo,  half  morocco,  %\. 

CvqA.  Benton  has  carefully  revised  and  corrected  this  valuable  work  on  Ord- 
nance and  Gunnery,  the  first  edition  of  which  was  published  only  about  a  year 
ago.  The  many  important  improvements  introduced  in  this  branch  of  the  service 
have  rendered  such  a  revision  necessary.  The  present  edition  will  be  invalua- 
ble, n©t  only  to  the  etudent,  but  as  a  standard  book  of  reference  on  the  subject 
of  which  it  trcata. 


D.  Yan  NostraniVs  Publications.  7 

The  Political  and  Military  Hiftory 
of  the  Campaign  of  Waterloo. 

Translated  from  the  French  of  General  Bakon  dr  Jomini.  By 
Capt.  S.  V.  Benet,  U.  S.  Ordnance.  1  vol.  12mo,  cloth,  second 
edition.     75  cents. 

"Baron  Jomiiii  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  greatest  military  his- 
torians and  critics  of  the  century.  His  merits  have  been  recognized  by  the 
liighest  military  authorities  in  Europe,  and  were  rewarded  in  a  conspicuous 
manner  by  the  greatest  military  power  in  Christendom,  lla  learned  the  art  of 
war  in  the  school  of  experience,  the  best  and  only  finishing  school  of  the  soldier. 
He  served  with  distinction  in  nearly  all  the  campaigns  of  Napoleon,  and  it  was 
mainly  from  the  gigantic  military  operations  of  this  matchless  master  of  tho 
art  that  he  was  enabled  to  discover  its  true  principles,  and  to  ascertain  the  best 
means  of  their  application  in  the  infinity  of  combinations  which  actual  war  pre- 
sents. Jomini  criticizes  the  details  of  Waterloo  with  great  science,  and  j-et  in  a 
manner  that  interests  the  general  reader  as  well  as  the  professional.''" — New 
York  World. 

"This  book  by  Jomini,  thougli  forming  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  his 
'Life  of  Napoleon,'  is  really  a  unit  in  itself,  and  forms  a  complete  summary  of 
the  campaign.  It  is  an  interesting  volume,  and  deserves  a  place  in  the  affec- 
tions of  all  who  would  be  accomplished  military  men." — Xexo  York  Times. 

"The  present  volume  is  the  concluding  portion  of  his  great  work,  'Vie  Poli- 
tique et  Militaire  de  Napoleon,'  published  in  1826.  Capt.  Benet's  translation  of 
it  has  been  for  some  time  before  the  public,  and  has  now  reached  a  second  edi- 
tion; it  is  very  ably  executed,  and  forms  a  work  which  will  always  be  interest- 
ing, and  especially  so  at  a  time  when  military  affairs  are  uppermost  in  the  public 
mind." — Philadelphia  North  American. 


A  Treatife  on  the  Camp  and  March. 

With  which  is  connected  the  Construction  of  Field  Works  and  Mil- 
itary Bridges  ;  -with  an  Appendix  of  Artillery  Ranges,  &c. 
For  the  use  of  Volunteers  and  Militia  in  the  United  States. 
By  Capt.  Henuy  D.  Grafton,  U.  S.  A.  1  vol.  12mo,  cloth. 
75  cents. 

Manual  for  Engineer  Troops, 

Comprising  Drill  and  Practice  for  Ponton  Bridges,  and  Pasley's 
Rules  for  Conducting  Operations  for  a  Siege.  The  Sap,  Military 
Mining  and  Construction  of  Batteries.  By  Capt.  J.  C.  Duaxe, 
U.  S.  Engineers.  Plates  and  woodcuts.  r2nio,  cloth.  In 
Press. 

New  Manual  of  Sword  and  Sabre 
Exercife. 

By  Captain  J.  C.  Kelton,  U.  S.  A.     Thirty  plates.     /»  Press. 


D.  Van  JSTostrand^s  PuhUcations. 


School   of  the   Guides. 

Designed  for  the  use  of  the  Militia  of  the  United  States.  Flexible 
cloth.     50  cents, 

•'This  excellent  compilation  condenses  into  a  compass  of  less  than  sixty 
pages  all  the  instruction  necessary  lor  the  fjuides,  and  the  information  being 
disconnected  with  other  matters,  is  more  readily  referred  to  and  more  easily 
acquired." — Louisville  Journal. 

"  The  -work  is  carefully  got  up,  and  is  illustrated  by  numerous  figures,  which 
mrnke  the  positions  of  the  guides  plain  to  the  commonest  understanding.  Those 
of  our  sergeants  who  wish  "to  be  '  posted  '  in  their  duties  should  procure  a  copy." 
—Sunday  Mercury,  Philadelphia. 

•'It  hns  received  high  praise,  and  will  prove  of  great  service  in  perfecting 
the  drill  of  our  Militia."— i^';  American  and  U.  S.  Gazette,  Phil. 

"This  noat  hand-book  of  the  elementary  movements  on  which  the  artof  th» 
tactician  is  based,  reflects  great  credit  on  Col.  Le  Gal,  whose  reputation  is  de- 
eervedlv  high  among  military  men.  No  soldier  should  be  without  the  School 
of  the  Cruidcs."— iV'tjtc  York  Daily  Neics. 


Gunnery  in   1858  : 

A   Treatise   on   Rifles,    Cannon,    and    Sporting    Arms.      By   Wm. 
Greener,  C.  E.     1  vol.  8vo,  cloth.    $3. 

Manual  of  Heavy  Artillery. 

For  the  Use  of  Yolunteors.     1  vol.  12mo,     Red  cloth,     75  cents. 

"Should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  Artillerist."— ^V.  Y.  Illustrated  Netcs. 

"This  is  a  concise  and  well-prepared  Manual,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  Vol- 
unteers. The  instruction,  which  is  of  an  important  nature,  is  presented  in  a 
simple  and  clear  style,  such  as  will  be  easily  understood.  The  volume  is  also 
illustrated  with  explanatory  cuts  and  drawings.  It  is  a  work  of  practical 
value,  and  one  needed  at  the  present  time  in  the  service." — Boston  Commercial 
Bulletin, 

"  An  Indispensable  Manual  for  all  who  wish  easily  and  accurately  to  learn 
the  school  of  the  Artillerist."~i/.  1'.  Commercial  Acirertiscr. 


Auilrian  Infantry  Tactics. 

Evolutions  of  the  Line  as  practised  by  the  Austrian  Infantry,  and 

adopted  in  1853.     Translated  by  Capt.  C.  M.  Wilcox,  Seventh 

Regiment  U.  S.  Infantry.     1  vol.  12mo.     Three  large  plates, 

cloth.     §1. 

"The  movements  of  armies  cng.nged  in  battle  have  often  been  compared  1o 
those  of  the  chess-board,  and  wo  cannot  doubt  that  there  are  certain  principles 
of  tactics  in  actual  war  as  in  that  g.amo,  which  may  determine  the  result  inde- 
jx-ndently,  in  a  great  measure,  of  the  personal  strengtli  and  courage  of  the  men 
engaged.  The  difference  betr>een  these  principles  .as  applied  in  tho  American 
Army  and  in  the  Austrian,  is  so  wide  as  to  have  suErtrested  the  translation  of 
tho  work  before  us,  which. contains  tho  whole  result  of  the  famous  Field-Marshal 
Kadetzkt's  cxncrienco  for  twcniy-flvc  years,  while  in  supremo  command  in 
Italy." — A^V?/'  Yor^-  (''^ufury. 


D.  Van  NostrancVs  Pahllcations. 


Rhymed  Tactics,   by   "Gov." 

1  vol.  ISnio,  paper.       With  portraits.     25  cents. 

"  It  -svill  strike  the  military  man,  familiar  with  the  tedious  routine  of  drill, 
by  theory,  practice,  and  memory,  as  a  most  unique  and  valuable  method  of 
strengthening  the  latter,  Avith  the.  lea.st  mental  exertion.  The  author  is  a 
thorough  soldier,  and  his  ability  as  a  rhymester  will  be  conceded  by  any  intelli- 
gent reader." — Nexo  York  Leader, 

"Our  author  deserves  great  credit  for  the  ingenuity  ho  has  displayed  in 
putting  into  verse  a  Manual  which  would  at  first  glance  seem  to  defy  the  most 
persistent  efforts  of  the  rhymer.  The  book  contains  a  number  of  illustrations 
representing  some  of  the  more  difficult  positions,  in  the  figures  of  which  por- 
traits of  several  prominent  officers  of  the  New  York  Volunteers  may  be  recog- 
nized.''—^eio  York  Times. 


Maxims    and    Inftructions    on    the 
Art  of  War. 

Maxims,  Advice,  and  Instructions  on  the  Art  of  War  ;  or,  A  Practi- 
Cfil  MiUtary  Guide  for  the  use  of  Soldiers  of  all  Arms  and  of  all 
Countries.  Translated  from  the  French  by  Captain  Lendy, 
Director  of  the  Practical  Mihtary  College,  late  of  the  French 
Staff,  etc.,  etc.     1  vol.  18mo,  cloth.     75  cents. 


Nolan's  Treatife  on  the  Training 
of  Cavalry  Horfes. 

By  Capt.  Ken'Ner  Garrard,  U.  S.  A.      1  vol.  12mo,  cloth,  with 
twenty-four  lithographed  plates.     $1.50. 


Official  Army    Regifter    for    1862 

New  edition.     8vo,  paper.     60  cents. 


American  Military  Bridges, 

With  India-Rubber  and  Galvanized  Iron  Pontons  and  Trestle  Sup- 
porters, prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Armies  of  the  United 
States.  By  Brig.-Gen.  Geo.  "W.  Cullum,  Major  Corps  of  En- 
gineers F.  S.  A.;  Chief  of  the  Staff  of  Maj.-Gen.  Halleck; 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi.  Second  edition, 
with  notes  and  two  additional  chapters*.  1  vol.  8vo,  with  plates. 
In  Press. 


10  2>.  Va7i  JVostra7id^3  PuhUcailons, 

Siege  of  Bomarfund  (1854). 

Journals  of  Operations  of  the  Artillery  and  Engineers.     Fublishcd 

by  permission  of  the  Minister  of  War.     Illustrated  by  maps  and 

plans.      Translated  from   the    French    by    an    Army   Officer. 

1  Tol.  12mo,  cloth.     75  cents. 

"To  military  men  this  little  volume  is  of  specid  interost.    It  contains  a 

translation  by  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Army,  of  the  journal  of  operations 

by  the  artillery  and  engineers  at  the  siege  of  Bomarsund  in  1S54,  published  by 

permission  of  the  French  Minister  of  War  in  the  Joumul  des  Armees  specialen 

et  d&  VEtat  Major.    The  account  of  the  same  successful  attack,  given  by  Sir 

Howard  Douglas  in  the  new  edition  of  his  work  on  Gunnery,  is  appended ;  and 

the  narrative  is  illustrated  by  elaborate  maps  aud  plans."— J^'e^c  Yo>'k  Paper. 


Lefsons  and  Practical  Notes  on 
Steam, 

The  Steam-Engine,  I*ropeIiers,  &c.,  kc,  for  Young  Marine  Engi- 
neers, Students,  and  others.  By  the  late  W.  R.  King,  U.  S.  N. 
Revised  by  Chief-Engineer  J.  W.  King,  U.  S.  Xavy.  Second 
edition,  enlarged.     8vo,  cloth. 

•'This  is  the  second  edition  of  a  valuable  work  of  the  late  W.  E.  KiN'o, 
U.  S.  N.  It  contains  lessons  and  practical  notes  on  Steam  and  the  Steam- 
Engine,  Propellers,  &c.  It  is  calculated  to  be  of  great  use  to  young  marine  en- 
gineers, students,  and  others.  The  text  is  illustrated  and  explained  by  numerous 
diagrams  and  representations  of  mnchinerv.  This  new  edition  has  been  revised 
and  enlarged  bv  Chief  Engineer  J.  Vi.  King.  U.  S.  K,  brother  to  the  deceased 
author  of  the  work."— -Sc»sto?i  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best,  because  eminently  plain  and  practical,  treatises  on 
the  Steam-Engine  ever  puhUihbiV—I'hiUtdefphia  Pre^s. 

"  Its  re-publication  at  this  time,  when  so  many  young  men  are  entering  the 
service  as  naval  endneers,  is  most  opportune.  Each  of  them  ought  to  have  a 
co^y:'— Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin. 

Manual  of  Internal  Rules  and  Reg- 
ulations for  Men-of-V/ar. 

By  Commodore  U.  P.  Levy,  U.  S.  N.,  late  Flag-officer  command- 
ing U.  S.  Naval  Force  in  the  Mediterranean,  &c.  Flexible 
blue  cloth.     Second  edition,  revised  and  enlarged.     SO  cents. 

"Among  the  professional  publications  for  wh'ch  we  arc  indebted  to  the  war, 
we  willingly  give  a  prominent  place  to  this  useful  little  Manual  of  Rules  ami 
Kegulations  to  be  observed  on  board  of  ships  of  war.  Its  authorship  is  a  sutti- 
cient  guafantcc  for  its  acciiracy  and  practical  value  ;  and  as  a  gu  de  to  young 
oflic.TS  in  providing  for  the  discipline,  police,  and  sanitary  govcrnme^nt  of  the 
vessels  under  their  command,  we  know  of  nothing  superior."— X  Y.  Herald. 

"  Should  bo  in  the  hands  of  every  Nav.al  officer,  of  whatever  grade,  and  will 
not  come  amis.?  to  any  intelligent  mariner."- i>i'A^o«  Tra roller. 

"A  work  which  will  prove  of  great  utility,  in  both  the  Nav.al  service  and 
the  meroantilo  mfiT\-B<^."'—Ba/tfmore  A>neri<-<in. 


D.  Va}%  NostrancVs  Puhlicationa.  11 

A  Treatife  on  Ordnance  and  Naval 
Gunnery. 

Compiled  and  arranged  as  a  Text-Book  for  tlie  U.  S.  Xaval  Acad- 
emy, by  Lieutenant  Edward  Simpson,  U.  S.  N.  Second  edi- 
tion, revised  and  enlarged.  1  vol.  8vo,  plates  and  cuts,  half 
morocco.     •$>. 

"As  the  compiler  has  char^o  of  tlio  instruction  in  N.aval  Gnnncry  at  tho 
Jj'.'xval  Academy,  his  v/ork,  la  the  compibtion  cf  which  he  has  cousulted  a  large 
number  of  eminent  authorities,  is  probably  well  suited  f(ir  the  purpose  designed 
by  it— namely,  tlio  circulation  of  information  which  many  officers,  owing  to 
constant  service  afloat,  may  not  have  been  able  to  collect.  In  simple  end  plain 
lansuasce  it  gives  instruction  as  to  cannon,  gun  carriages,  gun  powder,  projectiles, 
f.izes,  locks,  and  primers;  the  theory  of  pointing  guns,  rifles,  the  practice  of 
ftunnery,  and  a  great  varioty  of  other  siinlar  matters,  interesting  to  fighting 
men  on  eea  and  land." — Washington  Daily  Glohe. 

"  A  vast  amount  of  information  is  conveyed  in  ?.  readable  and  familiar  form. 
The  illuotrations  are  excellent,   and  many   of  them  unique,  being  colored  or^ 
bronzed  so  a^  to  represent  various  military  arms,  ic,  with  more  than  j.hoto- 
grapbic  literalness.'" — Washingioii  Star. 

"It  is  scarcely  necessary  for  ns  to  say  that  a  work  prepared  by  a  writer  so 
practically  conversant  with  all  the  subjects  of  which  he  treats,  and  who  has  such 
ft  reputation  fjr  scientific  ability,  cannot  fail  to  take  at  once  a  high  place  nmon^ 
the  text-books  of  our  naval  service.  It  has  been  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
tho  Navy,  and  will  henceforth  be  one  of  the  standard  authorities  on  all  matters 
connected  with  Naval  Gunnery."— Jv^etc  York  Herald. 

"Tho  book  itself  is  admirably  arranged,  characterized  by  great  simplicity 
and  clearness,  and  certainly  at  this  time  will  be  a  most  valuable  one  to  oiScer.4 
of  tho  Navy."' — Boston  Coni^nercial  Bulletivi,. 

"Originally  designed  as  a  text-book,  it  is  now  enlarged,  and  so  far  modified 
in  its  plan  as  to  make  it  an  invaluable  band-book  for  the  naval  officer.  It  Is 
compi-ehensive — preserving  the  cream  of  many  of  the  best  books  on  ordnance 
and  navnl  gunnery,  and  is  printed  and  illustrated  ia  the  most  admirable  man- 
ner."'— Xeio  York  V/orld, 


Elementary    Inftruction     in    Naval 
Ordnance  and  Gunnery. 

By  James  II.  V,'af.d,  Commander  U.  S.  Xavy,  Author  of  "  Naral 
Tactics,"  and  "Steam  for  the  Million."  New  edition,  revised 
and  enlarged.     8vo.     Clotb,  .$2. 

"  It  conveys  an  amount  of  information  in  tho  same  space  to  be  fonnd  no- 
v.-hero  else,  and  given  v.itb  a  clearness  v.hich  renders  it  useful  as  well  to  tho 
general  as  the  professional  inquirer."— J^'".  Y.  Ecening  Post. 

"This  volume  is  a  standard  treatise  upon  the  subject  to  which  it  is  devoted. 
It  abounds  in  valuable  information  upon  ail  the  points  bearing  upon  I^aval 
Gunnery." — 2T.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"The  work  is  .".n  cxcoedinglvv.iln.iblo  one,  and  is  opportunelv  issued." — 
Boston  Jonrnnl. 


12  D.  yan  JSTostrand'^s  Publication's. 

Notes  on  Sea-Coaft  Defence  : 

Consisting  of  Sea-Coast  Fortification  ;  the  Fifteen-Inch  Gun  ;  and 
Casemate  Embrasures.  By  Gen.  J.  G.  Barnard,  Corps  of 
Engineers,  U.  S.  Army.     1  vol.  8vo,  cloth,  plates.    %\  50. 

"This  small  voluint  'ly  one  of  the  most  accomplished  oflFicers  in  the  United 
States  service  is  especially  valuable  at  this  time.  Concisely  and  thoronphly 
Major  Barnard  discusses  the  subjects  included  in  this  volume,  and  pives  infor- 
mation that  will  be  read  with  great  profit  by  military  men,  and  by  all  interested 
in  the  art  of  war  as  a  defensive  force."— iV^«w  York  Commercial. 

"It  is  no  light  compliment  when  we  say  that  Major  Barnard's  book  does  no 
discredit  to  the  corps  to  which  he  belonsrs.  lie  writes  concisely,  and  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  &\i\>i&cV—Russeirs  Arony  and  I<\iry'  Gazette. 


Inftructions    for    Naval    Light 
^  Artillery, 

Afloat  and  Ashore.      By  Lieut.  S.  B.  Luce,  U.  S.  N,     1  vol.  8vo, 
with  22  lithographic  plates.     In  Press. 


Steam  for  the  Million. 

A  Popular  Treatise  on  Steam  and  its  Application  to  the  Fseful 

Arts,  especially  to  Navigation.     By  J.  H.  "Ward,   Commander 

U.  S.  Navy.     New  and  revised  edition.     1  vol.  8vo,  cloth. 

"A  most  excellent  work  for  the  young  engineer  and  general  reader.  Many 
facts  relating  to  the  management  of  the  boiler  and  engine  are  set  forth  with  a 
simplicity  of  language,  and  perfection  of  detail,  that  brings  the  subject  homo  to 
the  reader.  Mr.  Ward  is  also  peculiarly  happy  iu  his  iliustrations."— ^mfrican 
Engineer. 

Screw  Propuhion. 

Notes  on  Screw  Propulsion,  its  Rise  and  History.     By  Capt.  W.  H. 
Walker,  U.  S.  Navy.     1  vol.  Bvo.,  cloth.     75  cents. 

"  Some  interesting  notes  on  screw  propulsion,  its  rise  and  progress,  have  just 
been  issued  by  Couimander  W.  II.  vValkek,  U.  S.  N.,  from  which  JiU  that  is 
likely  to  be  desired  on  the  subject  may  bo  readily  acquired.  #  *  *  *  After 
tlioroughly  demonstrating  the'efiiciency  of  the  screw,  Mr.  Walker  proceeds  to 
I)oint  out  the  various  other  points  to  be  attended  to  in  order  to  secure  an  effi- 
cient man-of-war,  and  eulogizes  throughout  the  readiness  of  the  British  Admi- 
ralty to  test  everv  novelty  calculated  to  give  satisfactory  results.  *  *  «  * 
Commander  Walker's  book  contains  an  immense  amount  of  concise  practical 
data,  and  every  item  of  information  recorded  fully  i)roves  that  the  various 
points  bearing  uj)on  it  have  been  well  considered  previously  to  expressing  an 
opinion." — Loncion  Mining  Jounial. 

"Evtiry  engineer  should  have  it  in  his  WhrAvy .^'—American  Engineer. 


^e 


< 


Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 
Cummings  Sciiool  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tufts  University 
200  VVestbcro  Road 


